Spatial variation in size and shape of land plots in Mazowieckie voivodship

Abstract

The aim of the study is to evaluate the spatial variation in the size and shape of land plots in Mazowieckie voivodship. For the purposes of the study both the shape and the compactness of the plots were measured, and the typology of communes was drawn based on this information. Subsequently, based on the two indicators related to the shape of plots, four types of communes were distinguished, depending on whether their values were higher or lower than the average (Dzieciuchowicz and Dmochowska-Dudek, 2014). In addition, the paper includes calculations for the average share of unused land in the plot surface area, the average horizontal intensity of parcel development, and an indication of the type of land coverage dominant in the plots, by commune type. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used in the analyses. It has been found that the studied area is dominated by plots characterised by small diversity in shape and high degree of compactness - mainly in the north-western part of the voivodship, as well as those where plots are highly diverse in shape and low in compactness - in the south-eastern part of the voivodship.