The county – an potential subject of spatial planning

Abstract

Poland’s spatial development is affected by many problems, among which the chaos of development comes to the fore. The causes of these problems lie primarily in the defects of the spatial planning system. The municipality (gmina), which is the key entity in spatial planning, operates in organisational, economic and socio-political conditions which reduce the quality of planning. It remains under pressure from numerous private entities, primarily property owners, who are often also voters. These entities, in order to achieve economic benefits, demand that the municipality allocates the largest possible areas for development. The municipality itself is also interested in maximising the development on which it collects taxes. Furthermore, most Polish municipalities have a weak administrative capacity. Spatial development plans are therefore drawn up for their needs by hired professionals, often with little knowledge of the area and no interest in the quality of the studies. Many municipalities are also affected by depopulation processes, which in the long run may raise doubts as to the sense of their continued existence. At the same time, the county (powiat) self-government, functioning on the margins of spatial planning, is free of these circumstances. It has greater human, organisational and technical capacity and is generally more resistant to pressure from private entities. It may therefore have a greater inclination and capacity to look at space through the lens of public needs, including spatial order. Therefore, a stronger inclusion of the county in the spatial planning system could facilitate the basic objectives of this sector of planning.