Can Depopulation Create Urban Sustainability in Postindustrial Regions? A Case from Poland

Abstract

Many towns and cities in the world experience the process of urban shrinkage. This may be observed in localities of different types and of all sizes, including a large group of post-industrial towns and cities of Central and Eastern Europe. One of the districts affected by the urban shrinkage process is the Katowice conurbation in Poland, which may serve as a good example to consider the potential for introducing the idea of sustainable development. In this perspective, sustainability is considered as a specific challenge within the progress of regional transformation, but also a target concept for a large urban region to be followed throughout the evolution and at particular stages of the change. In the discussed region it is all the more important because it is followed by phenomena related to post(industrialism), relatively high pollution levels compared with the European average and a polycentric system of settlement. This paper states that the current urban policy implemented in the Katowice conurbation does not seem to have any palpable effect reversing the trend of depopulation in the region, which seems to stem from the fact that numerous initiatives undertaken in the area are ‘illusory’ and often unnecessary and unjustified. This also applies to activities embracing and fostering the idea of sustainability. With regard to the latter issue, the main concern refers to overinvestment and wasting the measures to reduce low emissions and to make savings in the heat supply system for residential buildings. The Authors proposed a new vision for the transformation of the region. It will respond to the current and expected needs of the residents, while making allowances for multidimensional sustainable development, particularly in terms of housing policy and spatial development. This concept primarily focuses on a new balance between the areas covered by low-rise and high-rise buildings and the reorganisation of the structure of the local economy.

Between Industrialism and Postindustrialism—the Case of Small Towns in a Large Urban Region: The Katowice Conurbation, Poland

“…It is also indicated by the number of creative industry entities per 1000 people in the conurbation core. It varies from 4.0 entities in Zabrze to 15.6 in Katowice [66].…”

Przeobrażenia Funkcjonalno-Przestrzenne Miasttradycyjnego Regionu Społeczno--Ekonomicznego – Przykład Katowic

“…Postępujący spadek zaludnienia miast konurbacji katowickiej wskazuje na potrzebę dopasowania zagospodarowania infrastrukturalnego, zasobów mieszkaniowych, struktury przestrzennej miast i całego zespołu osadniczego konurbacji katowickiej do zmniejszającej się liczby ludności oraz zmieniającej się struktury mieszkańców (m.in. starzenie) oraz ich potrzeb Runge et al 2018;Krzysztofik (red. ) 2018).…”

Urban Shrinkage and Sustainability: Assessing the Nexus between Population Density, Urban Structures and Urban Sustainability

“…Rich empirical evidence suggests that there are cases in social reality where the urban shrinkage process shows both positive and negative effects [13]. Finding adequate local policy responses is, however, still rather rare [14,15], although the shrinkage presents many specific challenges for sustainability [16][17][18].…”