Infrastructure's and Housing's Development in the Rural Areas in Poland—Some Problems

In: Journal of infrastructure development, Band 4, Heft 1, S. 1-17

Abstract

The article refers to an analysis and an evaluation of changes in the technical infrastructure and housing in the rural areas of Poland in the years 1995–2008. The article covers all rural and rural–urban (excluding urban parts) gminas1 in Poland that altogether amounts to 2,172 units (as of 2008). It was stated that in the rural areas in Poland a population density increased and it is caused mainly by dynamic suburbanisation processes and by a population movement from cities and towns towards suburban gminas, and in a lesser degree by natural increase. In the article the spatial variations of rural gminas were presented in the following elements: length of the water-line and sewerage networks per 100 km2; share of water-line and of sewerage systems' users, number of dwellings per 1,000 population, number of rooms per person, the usable floor space of a dwelling in m2 per person, share of dwellings fitted with water-line system and share of dwellings equipped with flush toilet and bathroom. It is also shown that there are relationships between population density and infrastructure and housing elements by providing positive as well as negative correlations. JEL Classification: R11