Delimitation of metropolitan areas in Poland as historically and globally conditioned political issue

Abstract

In the article the problem of delimitation of metropolitan areas in Poland is discussed in two aspects. On the one hand, in the context of global and historical processes of industrialization, servitization and metropolization of big cities, and, on the other hand, in the light of the various concepts of the region (structural, functional and territorial). Most of the Polish big cities suffer from deindustrialization caused by systemic change. The service economy is developing rapidly, but only in some of them (Warsaw, Krakow, Wroclaw, Poznan) and much slower in other big cities. Everywhere
it causes the intensive suburbanization (sprawl). Metropolitan functions are rather in initial stage, concentrated mainly in the capital city Warsaw. So, the notion "metropolitan area” should be in the Polish context understood rather as "big city with their suburbs”. In the era of globalization, the public control of functioning and development of metropolitan areas in Poland is necessary in order to ensure their future metropolization. Functional linkages inside metropolitan areas are, however, nor necessary, nor sufficient condition of the efficiency of such a control. It is necessary to restore the territorial principle. In conclusion shows that the metropolitan areas in Poland, which are in fact regions, should be defined as the territories, that is areas ruled by sovereign, but democratically controlled power. The only imaginable such territorial unit is in Poland the metropolitan county (metropolis). It moves the problem of their delimitation from research and planning agenda to political agenda.