Spatial Planning in Poland between European Influences and Dominant Market Forces

Among the post-socialist nations that entered the European Union (EU) in the last enlargement round, Poland is the one boasting the strongest spatial planning tradition as a consequence of the incremental consolidation of scientific and practical experience that originated in the inter-war period and evolved into one of the most significant experiences of the twentieth century with the advent of socialism. After 1989, the socialist planning structure was rapidly dismantled by a macro-economic reform that paid little attention to any spatial considerations. Within a few years, the territorial disparities exacerbated by the neoliberal macro-economic approach called for a revival of regional policy and the reintroduction of spatial planning at the national level. At the same time, the growing role played by foreign investors and the progressive accession into the EU constituted many pressures that encouraged the coherent development of Polish spatial planning in line with the emerging economic conditions, contributing to the incremental shaping of the present context on – and often with – the ruins of the previous one. The result is a system characterized by a strong fracture between the strategic activities undertaken at the national and regional levels – highly influenced by the EU discourse and expenditure policy – and local development practice – strongly embedded in market forces and dominated by private interests.