Shifting living conditions, environmental change, and population migrations are all necessitating changes in how we manage the space in which we live. Does our living have a future?

Different social and professional groups have different perspectives on space and spatial planning, which is in turn reflected in their differing understanding of the law and differing approach to regulations that shape the spatial order.

Spatial planning is a form of public management of a distinctive public good. It covers a range of activities and decisions affecting our environment.

The article refers to the urban sprawl in Poland. Its objectives are: (1) analysis of relations between negative eff ects, (2) presentation negative effects on transport and energy consumption and on spatial order, (3) analysis of ways of counteracting negative processes including conditions (especially restrictions) on the use of this ways and their effectiveness. The methods used were: observation, literature analysis and logical analysis. Driving forces are heading towards further suburbanization, stopping of which is considered impossible. Orientation of the processes more closely to spatial order is very difficult. There are proper and legal solutions for this, but there are barriers to their use, such as: the lack of awareness and motivation of local authorities and the political conditions that discourage more restrictive regulation.

The main purpose of the author was to determine the spatial diversity of hotel base development in the regional (voivodship) system. Assuming that many factors determine the level of hotel base development in a given area, the author has used a multidimensional approach, or more precisely – a multidimensional comparative analysis in its dynamic variant. Following the adopted algorithm, a potential set of diagnostic variables was identified on the basis of secondary information sources (date of CSO local data bank), then using factor analysis to reduce it to the final set of quasi-variables (four main factors). Based on them, a synthetic measure of the development of the hotel base of particular voivodships was constructed. This in turn allowed to determine the voivodship hierarchical structure due to particular main factors and synthetic variable, with its changes in the years 2002–2017. The voivodship were also divided into homogeneous groups, according to the value of the synthetic measure of development, as well as the direction and intensity of its temporal changes.

Precipitation is a component of the hydrological cycle, knowing its spatial distribution is vital for the management of hydrographic basins, the territory and the development of fundamental activities for society. That is why the present study shows the spatial variability of rainfall in Cartagena de Indias city with a network of rain gauges, made up of nine pieces of equipment, separated from each other by 0.9–27 km. After a year of recording (2019), using historical series of data, it was found that the maximum rainfall occurs in the trimester between September and November, with interpolated maps made by the Ordinary Kriging (OK) method it was found that the maximum rainfall is focused on the north, centre and west of the territory, instead, the maximum intensities are presented in the centre and west, the minimums for both variables are presented to the east and south. The 70 and 90% of the rain events have a duration of less than 30 min and 1 h, respectively. Three-parameter exponential function was fitted to the paired correlation distances, and presented correlations lower than 0.8, 0.5 and 0.2 from distances of 1, 3 and 7 km, respectively, in 30 min rain integration. It was also found that with a pluviometric network conformed by at least six pieces of equipment and separated by a 5 km distance from each other in the urban area, a correlation of 0.5 and compliance with the WMO recommendations would be obtained.

The colours of external architecture are crucial to the reception of urbanized space. An appropriate concept is necessary to maintain order and harmony of colours. Decision-making in this respect was analysed, based on Polish and Slovak legal acts. The formal and actual status was compared through analyses of local spatial development plans and site inspections. For a broader perspective, examples from some of the countries are presented. Using a survey, public knowledge of the current legal situation related to colour decision-making was investigated alongside preferences as to who should manage this issue. It was also investigated how space users assessed the external colours of buildings in the areas under study.

Biologically active areas play an extremely important role in the structure of a city and increasing their coverage, especially in large urban centres, is an activity with a number of advantages. This article compares, in terms of green spaces, two European cities of similar size – Warsaw (517.2 km2) and Oslo (454 km2). Both cities are capitals of their respective countries but implement different spatial policies in the scope of the Green Deal. In Warsaw, many industrial and post-industrial areas still exist and simultaneously urban green areas are decreasing year by year. In Oslo, a strategy based on deindustrialisation of the city and possible maximum use of urban greenery and public spaces is implemented. The research described in this article involved analysing the coverage of the analysed cities and their districts with biologically active area and then checking the correlation with other indicators that can be affected by this coverage. These included data on the incidence of the most common diseases among residents, the attractiveness of living for the elderly and families with children, as well as air and soil pollution and the occurrence of negative effects of climate change. The correlation of urban space use in terms of the presence of industrial land in relation to currently existing green spaces in the districts concerned was subsequently determined.

The justification for the document Study of the Conditions and Directions of the Spatial Management of a Commune created by Cracow’s Municipality Planning Office, reveals the numerous of intercommunal dysfunctions included in these documents for different communes and shows differences between Studies and Voivodeship Spatial Management Plan of Małopolska. The main purpose of the article is the discussion on the issue, showing the research methodology of intercommunal relationships analysis (conducted in the Justification) and inquiry for the solutions in Polish law system, which could resolve the problem.

Revitalization programme and spatial and strategic management, Revitalization programme is the set of integrated activities in favour of a local community, space and economy, which are territorially concentrated and performed by revitalization stakeholdres. These activities should be based on revitalizing strategic and spatial management strongly oriented to improvement of life and living conditions of a local community. The aim of the article is to explain the essence of revitalization programme as a scenario of spatial and strategic activities of the borough authorities. The authors proves that spatial management and strategic management are the tools that enable them to conduct the revitalization process. In the study there is a passage devoted to theoretical and operational meaning of the subject issue. Also the example collected from The Local Revitalization Programme of Krobia Borough, which was elaborated in 2017, has been presented.

The impact of changes in regional development along with the construction of Yogyakarta International Airport in Kulon Progo Regency may affect land use changes as the activities of the surrounding population. Galur– Lendah area, which is located near the city of Yogyakarta and acts as the entrance to Kulon Progo, will also develop. Along with these developments, the determination of the groundwater recharge–discharge area is needed to ensure the availability of groundwater at this site. The purpose of this study was to determine the zonation of groundwater recharge–discharge areas to support the availability of groundwater. The method of research is a spatial analysis using a geographic information system (GIS) based on ratings and weighting values for six parameters, including slope, rainfall, groundwater table depth, soil type, rock permeability, and land use. The field hydrogeological was also conducted to find out rock permeability and groundwater quality (pH, EC, TDS). The results showed that areas with potential for groundwater recharge were in the central and northeastern parts of the study area and the discharge zones in the north and south were with potential infiltration values of 26–43 and 44–59, respectively. However, the recharge area can still function as a discharge zone.

The concept of green infrastructure is currently being applied in management of the environmental space of cities, regions and even countries. In Poland this concept is known, as evidenced by increasing number of papers on the subject. The purpose of the article is to determine, whether and to what extent the concept is used in the spatial structure planning of Polish cities. The research was focused on analysing Studies of Conditions and Directions of Spatial Development prepared lately in three Polish cities: Gdańsk, Łódź and Wrocław.

The author is an employee of the City Spatial Planning Office of Kraków and describes the process of adopting Local Spatial Management Plans of the area in Krakow, which was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The description begins in 2003 with no Local Spatial Managements Plans in valid, and ends in 2020, when the UNESCO area is completely protected by local spatial plans, however 50% of the buffer zone stays without any spatial law protection. The article focused on the authors of Local Plans, who — on behalf of the Mayor of the City of Krakow — drawn up the spatial documents. The documentation of this aspect is tremendously important, after deregulation of the profession of urban planners.

The article describes important issues related to obtaining fundamental information used in the maritime spatial planning process. It presents practically aproached selected results of undertaken work, where the quality of spatial information may affect the decisions and final results of study works, therefore geoinformation is extremely important.

The level of sales of a given good depends largely on the distribution network. An analysis of the distribution network allows companies to optimize business activity, which improves the efficiency and profitability of a company’s sales with an immediate effect on profit growth. The so-called spatial analysis is highly useful in this regard. The paper presents an analysis of the network of authorized dealers of the Polish Mining Group for the Opolskie Province. The analysis was done using GIS (SIP) tools. The purpose of the analysis was to present tools that could be used to verify an existing distribution network, to optimize it, or to create a new sales outlet. The prresented tools belong to GIS operations used to process data stored in Spatial Information System resources. These are so-called geoprocessing tools. The article contains several spatial analyses, which results in choosing the optimum location of the distribution point in terms of the defined criteria. The used tools include a spatial intersection and sum. Geocoding and the so-called cartodiagram were also used. The presented analysis can be performed for both the network of authorized retailers within a region, a city or an entire country. The presented tools provide the opportunity to specify the target consumers, areas where they are located and areas of potential consumer concentration. This allows the points of sale in areas with a high probability of finding new customers to be located, which enables the optimal location to be chosen, for example, in terms of access to roads, rail transport, locations of the right area and neighborhood. Spatial analysis tools will also enable the coal company to verify its already existing distribution network.

The paper refers to the specific functional area, which identity was primarily based on the relationship with water – in major port cities, as well as related smaller settlemets. It discribes the phenomenon of using and reinterpreting the potential of a rich hydrographic network for constructing the contemporary spatial identity after the violent events of the 20th century. The case studies cited are differentiated due to the specifi city of the activities and the purpose of its implementation.

The main purpose of this article is to present facts related to the history of Port Praski located on the right bank of the Vistula river in Warsaw, which is currently being built. The subject of the consideration is the area and development of the former Port Praski, which project and the fi rst works began after the First World War. It’s spatial and functional connections with the downtown area and surroundings are also key issue. The article presents plans, concepts, projects and investments, furthermore theirs level of implementation. Signifi cant eff ort was made to answer the research questions concerning social expectations regarding the function and the direction of Port Praski development. In the final part of the article was made a comparison of existing revitalization works in Port Praski with HafenCity – the district of Hamburg, where the revitalization project has been already implemented for 20 years. However, comparative analysis revealed several signifi cant differences, allowed to conclude that Polish model of revitalization is only a partially identical with the approach applied in Western Europe.

The article presents basic changes introduced in the first edition of the governmental Urban Planning and Building Code. The changes regard spatial development, especially planning and permit documents, and competences of the governmental bodies in accepting, legislating and issuing such documents. In this respect, the article points out important regulations for the mining industry, in particular for deposit protection and the initiation of mining projects. In certain cases, critical opinions of some of the governmental institutions are mentioned. In a new document regarding the “Spatial Development Study of a Community”, the draft of the Code orders a division of the community into functional zones. Therefore a mining and extractive industry could be delimited as a functional zone. The Code also specifies that while delimiting a new urbanization area, the documented mining deposits areas should be avoided. In relation to the local spatial plan, the Code establishes the following: in documented strategic mining deposit zones the initiation of non-public purpose investments can only be carried out according to the urban spatial plan. This project also orders that only the local spatial plan can allow for the localization of “establishments that carry a risk of serious industrial breakdown” and “investments that can seriously impact the environment”. The Code also introduces another innovation: the possibility of issuing the local spatial plan with an integrated evaluation on the environmental impact. The “investment permits” are intended to replace both the previous building permits and previous decisions on the conditions of development of the areas not covered in the local spatial plans. The investment permits referring to mining establishments will be issued by the mining administration authorities. The main adverse change for mining is that the exploration of mining deposits owned by the State Treasury loses its previous status of public purposes. The article also indicates that some of the described regulations might be changed during the further legislation process.

The aim of this article is to identify the role, that special residential law issued by the municipal executive authorities plays in the metropolises development. The article presents key urban and legal barriers related to the functioning of the spacial management system. The article ends with recommendations for further actions related to repair local spatial policy.

Based on China’s provincial panel data from 2009 to 2019, this paper empirically tests and analyzes the effects of industrial agglomeration and other important economic variables on industrial green technology innovation efficiency from the perspective of spatial statistical analysis. The results show that the efficiency of China’s industrial green innovation has not changed much during the study period, exhibiting an obvious polarization phenomenon. Moreover, the improvement of the degree of industrial agglomeration is conducive to the regional green innovation efficiency level. This means that industrial agglomeration produces effective environmental and innovation benefits. In addition, the influence coefficient of enterprise-scale is negative, indicating that for Chinese industrial enterprises, the enlargement of the production scale weakens the promotion effect of R&D activities. The influence coefficient of human capital is negative, mainly because the direct effect has a small and positive value, while the indirect effect (spillover effect) has a negative and large value, indicating that the spillover effect of human capital between regions in China is deficient.

The environment is crucial to socioeconomic development and to human well-being. Properly performed spatial planning efforts allow the natural environment to be shaped in a rational way, by identifying the possibilities and directions for its development.

In the 19th and in the first half of the 20th century numerous parks were built all over Europe, which, though different in many aspects, still show certain similarities in space structure and composition. The question is, whether late modern public parks, built in the second half on the 20th century follow the classical design and composition „rules”? How did the extremely functionalist design approach of the era after WW2 influence park design? The answer is the result of a detailed analysis on space structure and composition principles of the parks built in these times. In this research I analyzed according to specific criteria the Jubileum Park in Budapest, one of the most prominent work of the late modern period in Hungary. The 12 ha Jubileum Park (built in 1965) is located in the heart of Budapest, on the top of Gellért Hill, next to river Danube. Laying high above the city on an exposed hillside, the park offers a broad view of the whole city. The structure of the park is basically determined by the extreme topography, and one of the great value of the park is the natural looking grading, which determines the space structure and fits to the natural terrain very nicely, and the walkway system, which fits to the contour lines and explores the whole site. Fitting to the windy and exposed hilltop position, in space division the terrain in the most appealing, the plantation is only secondary. From formal point an interesting feature is the dominance of two dimensional elements with characteristic shape, like flowerbeds or ornamental pools and the curves of the walkway system. Though the main function of the park is to underline the fantastic visual potential with providing viewpoints, there are some playgrounds as well. For the visitor of today the specialty of the park celebrating the 50th anniversary this year, is, that – disregarding some minor changes – there were no alterations since it exists. As a first step I analyzed the space structure of the park, putting an extra emphasis on the existence or lack of any axis, on the accentuation of the park entrances, on the space organization inside the park and on the existence/lack of hierarchy. Important aspect of analysis was the connection of the park to connecting urban fabric and green surfaces nearby. The next step was to compare the results with other parks built in former times, but having similar natural setting. The goal of the research is to determine, how much the spatial composition of Jubileum Park is different from the spatial composition of classical parks. The results might help to realize, what kind of spatial composition and space structure is typical of late modern parks. It would be important to preserve these space structural specialties of the Jubileum Park during a more and more urgent renovation.

One of the principles of green infrastructure (GI) design is a multi-scale approach. Each scale requires taking into account various, differently aggregated GI building blocks. Eco-spatial indices are an important tool for implementing GI. These planning tools make it possible to define the proportion between built-up areas and blue-green areas of a project site. The Ratio of Biologically Vital Area (RBVA) is an indicator that is widely used in Polish spatial planning practice. The objective of this study was to determine how the RBVA is shaped in existing local spatial plans for single- and multi-family residential areas in 20 small and medium-sized towns, and to analyse whether and under what conditions the ratio used would guarantee the implementation of GI. The subject of the study were 814 local spatial plans of residential areas. The authors applied a document analysis method using the READ approach. In addition, statistical analyses of the data obtained and a detailed analysis of three selected plans were carried out. The most common ratio for multi-family residential areas was found to be at the level of 30%, while for single-family residential areas, it was 40%. Statistical analysis showed no significant differences between small and medium-sized towns for single-family residential areas. In turn, considerable differences were observed for multi-family residential areas (RBVA higher in medium-sized towns). The research corroborates that RBVA is a commonly used indicator. However, it guarantees only to a limited extent the possibility of GI implementation at the local scale.