Suburbanization in Poland and Its Consequences: A Research and Analytical Perspective on the Phenomenon
Suburbanization in Poland and Its Consequences: A Research and Analytical Perspective on the Phenomenon

Summary/Abstract: On the basis of their own research, observations and an extensive review of the literature on the subject, the authors underline the complexity and multidimensionality of suburbanization and the diversity of its forms across the world. The effects of suburbanization form one of the key challenges to be faced by Polish cities, for which the post-1989 political and social transformations have been a time of destabilized spatial development. This has been largely a consequence of the far-reaching deregulation of spatial planning and changes in the lifestyle of city residents. The voluminous foreign literature on the subject identifies an array of costs associated with urban sprawl. The alarming scale of its adverse effects also emerges from a number of domestic studies. The authors of this paper focus on highlighting the actual challenges of uncontrolled suburbanization in Poland. Following this, drawing on the most seminal US studies on suburbanization and estimates of Polish researchers, they attempt to systematize knowledge about the economic, social and environmental impacts of suburban spatial chaos. They shed new light on the phenomenon of suburbanization and identify — sometimes contrary to what may be expected — non-obvious beneficiaries and victims of the process.

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