Trajectories of Depopulation and Urban Shrinkage in the Katowice Conurbation, Poland

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of trajectories of urban shrinkage in the Katowice conurbation (after 1990), a typical of a traditional industrial region in central and eastern Europe.The process of urban shrinkage and its effects, as a consequence of the restructuring of the economy of the region since 1989, are presented from a broad perspective, using the example of the Katowice conurbation, with a detailed focus on two cities, Sosnowiec and Bytom.Bytom and Sosnowiec are models exemplifying most of the typical path of shrinkage in the Katowice Conurbation. These cities represent urban centers of both Upper Silesia (Bytom) and the Dabrowa Basin Region (Sosnowiec). The shrinking cities of the Katowice Conurbation are the most spectacular examples of the socio-economic problems in the post-industrial area of the urban region.One of the signs of urban shrinkage in the Katowice conurbation is the population loss of 370,000 people in the period 1991–2013. In addition, the cities are facing numerous social, economic and spatial challenges.It is well known that, as a post-industrial region, the Katowice Conurbation has undergone a particular, complicated economic and social transformation. This is key to an interpretation of the shrinkage process in the region.