Changing geographical patterns of automotive industry in Poland

The paper aims at identifying the main trends in the spatial patterns of automotive industry in Poland and their underlying changes. The analysis includes the distribution of employment in the sector by regions (voivodeships) in 1998 and 2015 on the basis of the Central Statistical Office data, as well as the location of greenfield plants built in the country since 1991 using the authors' database. It is shown that after the general stability of the spatial pattern of production in the first transformation phase of the 1990s, a major shift towards south-western and western Poland together with the decline of the historically dominant region of Warsaw took place later. This can be explained by the success and/or decline of some leading producers and trends in the location of new plants dependent on the proximity to foreign markets, good road accessibility and industrial traditions (labour skills) in the main. These tendencies are in congruence with the general changes in the spatial pattern of Polish industry as a whole, with the growing role of Wielkopolskie and Dolnośląskie voivodeships and the decreasing share of Mazowieckie in the national industrial employment. The rapid expansion of automotive industry in Upper Silesian Industrial District has contributed to its successful restructuring

Aims, rules and instruments of the urban policy of Małopolskie Voivodeship

Aims, Rules and Instruments of the Urban Policy of Małopolskie Voivodeship. The paper provides a contribution to the debate on the model of regional urban policy in Poland. The authors present aims, rules and major instruments of urban policy proposed for the self-government of the Małopolskie Voivodeship. They are a result of broader studies on urban development in the Małopolskie Region and its determinants carried out by the team of researchers of the Jagiellonian University and the Cracow University of Economics in 2012-2013. The authors argue that regional urban policy should focus on urban functional areas rather than on towns and cities only and should put strong emphasis on the facilitating of co-operation of various public and private stakeholders within the region

Regional differentiation of economic growth in Poland between 1995 and 2015

The paper explores the regional differentiation of economic growth in Poland between 1995 and 2015 in terms of GDP per capita. The historically lagging-behind regions of eastern Poland has shown relatively high dynamics and reduced the gap vis-à-vis Western European regions. At the same time, they have not been catching up with the fastest growing metropolitan areas, which leads to increased inter-regional disparities in the country. The lowest rate of growth is characteristic of northern regions and western borderland, which is related to their social and cultural features, including poor human capital, and limited internal market. There is moderate correlation between regional economic growth and the quality of life. The least favourable situation in both respects is found in the German borderland

Przekształcenia terenów poprzemysłowych w województwach śląskim i małopolskim : prawidłowości i uwarunkowania

Szybkie przemiany gospodarcze zachodzące w latach 1990-tych oraz dziedzictwo ekstensywnie wykorzystanych terenów fabrycznych z okresu socjalizmu leżą u podstaw pojawienia się w polskich miastach rozległych terenów poprzemysłowych. Skala tego zjawiska jest szczególnie duża w okręgach i ośrodkach przemysłowych, w których znaczący udział miały branże tradycyjne. Kurczenie się owych branż wobec załamania się popytu na ich produkty (górnictwo węglowe) lub konkurencji wyrobów zagranicznych (przemysł włókienniczy, hutnictwo żelaza), wprowadzanie nowych technologii oraz likwidacja zakładów lub wydziałów szczególnie uciążliwych dla środowiska (np. koksowni, stalowni martenowskich) prowadzą do opuszczania starych obiektów i budowli. Procesy takie obserwowane są na dużą skalę w województwie śląskim, a także w Krakowie i niektórych innych miastach województwa małopolskiego

The development of low-emission public urban transport in Poland

The aim of the paper is to identify the main factors and mechanisms behind the development of low-emission public transport vehicles in Polish cities. This innovation is primarily connected with growing environmental requirements for transport, with the EU environmental and transport policies being the key factors. However, strategies of local governments and municipal transport companies as well as the organization of urban transport - which differs significantly between cities - also play an important role. Three basic types of approach towards low-emission buses can be observed in Polish cities: tests of electric and hybrid vehicles, purchases of small quantities of buses in order to implement new solutions, and finally attempts to replace the majority or even the entire transport fleet with low-emission vehicles. It should be emphasised that an important element which affects the development of low emission public urban transport in Poland is the fact that the country has become one of the main bus producers in Europe - a fact which is a result of both large-scale foreign investments and the success of Polish manufacturers

Localised capabilities as intermediating factors in the transition from the old to a new development path : the case of post-socialist industrial towns

There are debates in the research literature about the mechanisms responsible for the formation of local development trajectories. What is emphasized, as particularly scarce, are longitudinal studies which show how historical, social and institutional structures are reproduced and/or transformed into new paths of development in the case of industrial towns. This paper aims to capture the role of various social, cultural and institutional features that constitute localized capabilities, in the process of transition from an old to a new developmental path for older industrial towns. The authors use case studies of three medium-sized industrial centres in Poland: Dzierżoniów, Starachowice and Mielec, to illustrate how localized capabilities are shaped by the interplay of earlier economic activity and the characteristics of local firms, on the one hand, and the evolving social, cultural and institutional attributes of the particular town and its region on the other. As a result, industrial towns may differ significantly in their ability to absorb exogenous impulses, as well as their capacity to transform and recombine them into a new development pathway that is more resilient than the old one

The development of low-emission public urban transport in Poland

"jats:p"The aim of the paper is to identify the main factors and mechanisms behind the development of low-emission public transport vehicles in Polish cities. This innovation is primarily connected with growing environmental requirements for transport, with the EU environmental and transport policies being the key factors. However, strategies of local governments and municipal transport companies as well as the organization of urban transport - which differs significantly between cities - also play an important role. Three basic types of approach towards low-emission buses can be observed in Polish cities: tests of electric and hybrid vehicles, purchases of small quantities of buses in order to implement new solutions, and finally attempts to replace the majority or even the entire transport fleet with low-emission vehicles. It should be emphasised that an important element which affects the development of low emission public urban transport in Poland is the fact that the country has become one of the main bus producers in Europe - a fact which is a result of both large-scale foreign investments and the success of Polish manufacturers. Document type: Articl

Dyskusja generalna – osiągnięcia, zaniedbania i perspektywy polskiej geografii po konferencji w Rydzynie

Oddajemy do rąk Czytelnika kolejny tom z serii „Podstawowe idee i koncepcje w geografii” pt. Dorobek polskiej geografii po konferencji w Rydzynie. Ocena krytyczna. [...] Właśnie minęło 30 lat od przełomowej dla polskiej geografii konferencji w Rydzynie (1983 r.). Miała ona duże znaczenie dla przemian teorii i praktyki geografii. W Rydzynie zwrócono uwagę na odmienne od dotychczasowych możliwości interpretacyjne rzeczywistości badawczej geografii rozwijane zwłaszcza w krajach anglosaskich. W kontekście tym przedstawiono nowe pola badawcze naszej dyscypliny zwłaszcza nieistniejącą wcześniej geografię społeczną jej podejścia radykalne i behawioralne oraz zaprezentowano perspektywę humanistyczną w badaniach geograficznych. Mimo trudności instytucjonalnych w przebijaniu się efektów tej innowacyjnej konferencji do teorii i empirii polskiej geografii, czas pokazał, że jej dorobek nie został zaprzepaszczony. Niniejszy tom składa się z 13 prac, w których autorzy podjęli teoretyczną refleksję nad rolą konferencji w Rydzynie dla polskiej geografii oraz krytyczny namysł nad dorobkiem geografii po konferencji

Mass media as a source of information about extreme natural phenomena in Southern Poland

The paper presents the preliminary results of the project entitled ‘Public attitudes and behaviours concerning extreme natural phenomena in Southern Poland’, carried out in the years 2005-2008 at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland. The aim was to study the public perception of floods, strong winds and landslides in a representative group of Polish citizens, living in rural and urban areas, who experienced the mentioned extreme phenomena and those who did not. The frequency of occurrence of extreme phenomena influences their perception, which is then reflected in people’s actions, e.g. those who experienced a few floods are much more careful about future flood predictions and undertake much more precautions to protect themselves than those who experienced only one flood event. Mass media are the preferred means of information and they play a key role in shaping the understanding of environmental problems. However, the quality of information in the media is usually rather poor and burdened with a strong negative emotional load. Keywords: extreme natural phenomena, Southern Poland, mass media, public attitud

Panel dyskusyjny: „Rydzyna we wspomnieniach i refleksji”

Oddajemy do rąk Czytelnika kolejny tom z serii „Podstawowe idee i koncepcje w geografii” pt. Dorobek polskiej geografii po konferencji w Rydzynie. Ocena krytyczna. [...] Właśnie minęło 30 lat od przełomowej dla polskiej geografii konferencji w Rydzynie (1983 r.). Miała ona duże znaczenie dla przemian teorii i praktyki geografii. W Rydzynie zwrócono uwagę na odmienne od dotychczasowych możliwości interpretacyjne rzeczywistości badawczej geografii rozwijane zwłaszcza w krajach anglosaskich. W kontekście tym przedstawiono nowe pola badawcze naszej dyscypliny zwłaszcza nieistniejącą wcześniej geografię społeczną jej podejścia radykalne i behawioralne oraz zaprezentowano perspektywę humanistyczną w badaniach geograficznych. Mimo trudności instytucjonalnych w przebijaniu się efektów tej innowacyjnej konferencji do teorii i empirii polskiej geografii, czas pokazał, że jej dorobek nie został zaprzepaszczony. Niniejszy tom składa się z 13 prac, w których autorzy podjęli teoretyczną refleksję nad rolą konferencji w Rydzynie dla polskiej geografii oraz krytyczny namysł nad dorobkiem geografii po konferencji