Spatial growth of urbanised land within the Warsaw metropolitan area in the first decade of the 21st century

Abstract

The main objective of the study was to recognize the spatial regularities of the urbanised land development, as well as to determine the impact of the distance from the city center of Warsaw on the ongoing transformations. Research performed in the Warsaw Metropolitan Area (WMA) refers to the period of 2000-2010. Special stress was put on changes that had been taking place in rural areas, since Poland entered the EU. It was determined that there is ever greater relation between the distance from Warsaw and the development of urbanised areas. The study showed, that the most urbanised rural areas (gminas) are still those to the South-West of Warsaw, within the distance of up to 40 km. Performed actions determined that since 2004, there had been changes in the geographical directions of intense urbanisation of the WMA area. While the southern and western parts of the city seemed to have lost their importance, the northern and eastern ones, on the other hand, seemed to had been gaining in significance. © Bożena Degórska.