Residential Segregation in Warsaw and its Metropolitan Area in the Context of Changing Housing Policy

Warsaw and its metropolitan area seem an interesting testing ground for research on the phenomenon of residential segregation in the context of the evolution of housing policy, since the city has been subject to significant changes as a result of historical events. Each of these contributed to alterations in the level and the character of residential segregation. The goal of this article is to answer the following question: Was the changing housing policy in Warsaw and the surrounding metropolitan area during the transformation period and afterwards accompanied by a modification of the segregation structure and what differences can be noticed in the whole of the metropolitan area and in the city itself

Ciudad-territorio sustentable. Procesos, actores y estructuras

En los últimos años, los estudios urbanos especializados insisten en que los procesos de urbanización por los que atraviesan los distintos países desarrollados, parecen dejar atrás las explicaciones de la urbanización industrial, han surgido otras construcciones y perspectivas unas más acabadas que otras (Indovina, 1998, la “ciudad difusa”; Dematteis 1998, ciudad sin centros; Nel-lo, 1998 ciudad sin confines, Soja, 2008, la exópolis). En suma se dice que se avanza hacia la urbanización generalizada, ello acaba con la larga trayectoria del funcionamiento y naturaleza de la ciudad moderna, el cambio urbano estructural actual, es nuevamente, consecuencia de la descentralización, difusión, redistribución del desarrollo, del crecimiento y las innovaciones ahora sobre una estructura en el territorio. Ha sido una mutación no sólo empírica sino que ha dado lugar a la confrontación teórica. El sistema urbano jerárquico ha reducido su valor interpretativo porque se han modificado los supuestos en los que se basaban las relaciones de dominio y dependencia de los centros principales, porque se han abaratado los costos de transporte y el efecto de la distancia ya no es una limitante absoluta, ahora los procesos productivos flexibles y descentralizados propician las relaciones técnicas horizontales con lo cual se consiguen economías de escala externas e internas a las empresas en un territorio ampliado y no sólo exclusivamente en la aglomeración económica (Precedo, 2003; Veltz, 1999; Boix, 2002; Camagni, 2005; De Santiago, 2008 y; Garmendia, 2010).El objetivo es examinar dentro de la descentralización del proceso urbano a la ciudad-territorio en América Latina, en particular en México. En contextos urbanos desarrollados se afirma la convergencia urbana con la apertura de las unidades funcionales de los sistemas urbanos donde operan redes e interrelaciones de desarrollo cualitativo en el territorio. América Latina registra evidencias empíricas poco claras, existe alta concentración de aquella economía que contribuye al crecimiento nacional, mientras la población se descentraliza rápidamente. México, es un caso de primacía urbana histórica aunque da paso a la formación de regiones urbanas, mismas que reproducen relaciones polarizadas y escasamente descentralizadas. De manera que, en tanto domine la concentración espacial económica, la ciudadterritorio se podrá presentar en el continente sólo con algunos rasgos en regiones urbanas con mayor desarrollo y crecimiento. Palabras claves: descentralización urbana, sistema urbano, ciudad-territorio

Multidimensionality of immigrant integration policy at the local level. Examples of initiatives in Germany and The United Kingdom

Awareness that immigrant integration takes place at a local level has been growing for several years. Immigration policy debates and decisions mostly occur at the national level, but the question of how to implement immigrant integration policy is much more urgent at a local level. The purpose of the article is to present the multidimensionality of integration actions as well as examples of projects considered to be “best practices” that are carried out today at the local level in German and UK cities of different sizes. The countries chosen have long histories of immigration and have developed significantly different approaches to immigration issues, nevertheless local experiences (in both countries) highlight not only differences but also similarities in immigrant integration policy. The surveys presented help us to understand that immigrant integration is a complicated process that can be stimulated in various ways, and that there is no single way to introduce policy towards immigrants

Multidimensionality of immigrant integration policy at the local level. Examples of initiatives in Germany and The United Kingdom

Awareness that immigrant integration takes place at a local level has been growing for several years. Immigration policy debates and decisions mostly occur at the national level, but the question of how to implement immigrant integration policy is much more urgent at a local level. The purpose of the article is to present the multidimensionality of integration actions as well as examples of projects considered to be “best practices” that are carried out today at the local level in German and UK cities of different sizes. The countries chosen have long histories of immigration and have developed significantly different approaches to immigration issues, nevertheless local experiences (in both countries) highlight not only differences but also similarities in immigrant integration policy. The surveys presented help us to understand that immigrant integration is a complicated process that can be stimulated in various ways, and that there is no single way to introduce policy towards immigrants

LOCAL IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION POLICY: THE CASE OF TWO SELECTED CITIES IN GERMANY AND THE UNITED KINGDOM

The main purpose of this article is to present the characteristics of organizations dealing with immigrant integration and of integration initiatives implemented at the local level in two medium-sized cities - Bielefeld in Germany and Bradford in the UK. An additional objective is to identify and compare how the Polish communities living in both cities take advantage of offered integration programmes. The article fits into the current debate on how to put integration policies that are adopted at the national level into practice, and how are local governments trying to respond to the problems of diverse immigrant communities

Residential Segregation at the Local Level in Poland. Case Studies for Praga Północ, Włochy and Ursynów

The aim of this article is to answer two questions concerning the scale and the pattern of residential segregation in Warsaw at the local level and the character of contemporary processes accompanying and modifying this phenomenon. While examining residential segregation we have applied a multidimensional approach to underline the complex nature of this phenomenon. We have focused on data concerning different demographic and socio-economic categories. Furthermore we indicate and describe three socio-spatial, contemporary processes that have accompanied an increase in social inequalities in Warsaw (the creation of enclaves of poverty and wealth and the process of gentrification). The research reveals increasing social inequalities at the local level that began in the socialist era and have strengthened during the transformation period, as well as the stability of the socio-spatial pattern in selected districts that influence their local specifics

Measures of social segregation in the context of Warsaw, Berlin and Paris metropolitan areas

Social segregation is a subject common in contemporary studies of metropolitan areas. Until recently, studies of segregation focused on the distribution of ethnic groups, immigrants, and the poor. Today, they also cover additional indicators such as demographic properties, education, and affiliation with social and professional categories, which can also serve to determine the causes of the segregation (including the self-segregation of the rich). This article aims to point out the measures of segregation that present the segregation levels in the most complete manner, along with their application in the context of three European metropolitan areas: Warsaw, Berlin, and Paris. The first part of the article is a review of the existing approaches to segregation measures, followed by the selection of research method, presentation of the analysis’ results, and evaluation of the applied methods; presenting the opportunities and limitations in research of the social segregation phenomenon

Case study in Poland: Understanding spatial diversity of social vulnerability to natural hazards based on local level assessments within the European Union

Social vulnerability is an element of disaster risk theory and reduction, a tool to understand and improve risk mitigation. The paper focusses on social vulnerability to multi-hazards within the EU on Central and Southern Europe but not including physical factors; within Poland, this quantification type is as yet unavailable. Based on the knowledge and social vulnerability estimations in selected countries within the European Union and the US, it shows the Social Vulnerability to Natural Hazards index to unify these approaches. One case study in Poland, which included careful study of the national database, revealed the problems of collecting useful data in order to study social vulnerability within municipalities. But it also indicated a useful variable when placing a social vulnerability assessment. The paper shows maps within the most vulnerable municipalities in Poland by percentage share, with 41.8% urban and 41.46% urban-rural municipalities showing the highest value of social vulnerability based on this comprehensive index. It also indicates the need to take locally better-targeted and diverse policy and actions for risk reduction using social vulnerability in the type of municipality. Such a richness of approaches with a simultaneous diversity of used variables could be due to a lack of any homogeneous data collected for municipalities within EU states. So we suggest there is a need to build a unified database in Europe in order to estimate social vulnerability in municipalities. It is a basic requirement when it comes to comparing disaster risk reduction progress and effectiveness in the EU

Ciudad-territorio sustentable. Procesos, actores y estructuras

En los últimos años, los estudios urbanos especializados insisten en que los procesos de urbanización por los que atraviesan los distintos países desarrollados, parecen dejar atrás las explicaciones de la urbanización industrial, han surgido otras construcciones y perspectivas unas más acabadas que otras (Indovina, 1998, la “ciudad difusa”; Dematteis 1998, ciudad sin centros; Nel-lo, 1998 ciudad sin confines, Soja, 2008, la exópolis). En suma se dice que se avanza hacia la urbanización generalizada, ello acaba con la larga trayectoria del funcionamiento y naturaleza de la ciudad moderna, el cambio urbano estructural actual, es nuevamente, consecuencia de la descentralización, difusión, redistribución del desarrollo, del crecimiento y las innovaciones ahora sobre una estructura en el territorio. Ha sido una mutación no sólo empírica sino que ha dado lugar a la confrontación teórica. El sistema urbano jerárquico ha reducido su valor interpretativo porque se han modificado los supuestos en los que se basaban las relaciones de dominio y dependencia de los centros principales, porque se han abaratado los costos de transporte y el efecto de la distancia ya no es una limitante absoluta, ahora los procesos productivos flexibles y descentralizados propician las relaciones técnicas horizontales con lo cual se consiguen economías de escala externas e internas a las empresas en un territorio ampliado y no sólo exclusivamente en la aglomeración económica (Precedo, 2003; Veltz, 1999; Boix, 2002; Camagni, 2005; De Santiago, 2008 y; Garmendia, 2010).El objetivo es examinar dentro de la descentralización del proceso urbano a la ciudad-territorio en América Latina, en particular en México. En contextos urbanos desarrollados se afirma la convergencia urbana con la apertura de las unidades funcionales de los sistemas urbanos donde operan redes e interrelaciones de desarrollo cualitativo en el territorio. América Latina registra evidencias empíricas poco claras, existe alta concentración de aquella economía que contribuye al crecimiento nacional, mientras la población se descentraliza rápidamente. México, es un caso de primacía urbana histórica aunque da paso a la formación de regiones urbanas, mismas que reproducen relaciones polarizadas y escasamente descentralizadas. De manera que, en tanto domine la concentración espacial económica, la ciudadterritorio se podrá presentar en el continente sólo con algunos rasgos en regiones urbanas con mayor desarrollo y crecimiento. Palabras claves: descentralización urbana, sistema urbano, ciudad-territorio