Warsaw: Spatial growth with limited control

Abstract

In this chapter the case of the Warsaw Metropolitan Area (WMA) is presented as an example of how systemic political and economic change resulting from decentralization and democratization influence urban development processes. The shift from the system of central planning and rigid control to a decentralised system promoting local autonomy and to market-based rules of development, as well as a re-birth of local democracy and the empowerment of local government has created strong incentives for economic development over the last 20 or so years. However, dynamic development processes also often assume a spontaneous character which may lead to conflicts, impede development processes and make efficient use of the development potential of a region impossible.