Geographia Polonica (2018) vol. 91, iss. 4

Articles

Rural/urban: Laying bare the controversy

Mirek Dymitrow

Geographia Polonica (2018) vol. 91, iss. 4, pp. 375-397 | Full text
doi: https://doi.org/10.7163/GPol.0126

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Abstract

Concepts are the basic building blocks of all knowledge, while the strength of any societal project is dependent on the quality of those concepts. As two of the oldest geographical concepts still in widespread use, ‘rural/urban’ stand in stark contrast to the immense changes encountered by the society over the last century, let alone decades. To better understand this controversy, this paper moves away from conventional rural and urban theory, and instead focuses on the philosophical constitution of this conceptual pair. By critically evaluating six of the most common conceptions of ‘rural/urban’, including their pros and cons, this paper makes a case for reconfiguring our relationship with familiar understandings of societal organization. The paper concludes that by paying greater attention to how concepts operate at a cognitive level, how they are construed and collectively maintained, can help facilitate decisions whether ‘rural/urban’ are truly analytically contributory to a specific line of thought or action, or whether they merely linger as a cultural ostinato that is too elusive to be conquered or held.

Keywords: rural, urban, conceptions of space, critical analysis, knowledge production

Mirek Dymitrow [mirek.dymitrow@keg.lu.se], Department of Human Geography, Faculty of Social Sciences Lund University Sölvegatan 10, 223-62 Lund: Sweden; Faculty of Arts and Humanities Department of Cultural Sciences Linnæus University SE-351 95 Växjö: Sweden

Regional divergence dynamics in the Baltic region: Towards polarisation or equalization?

Gennady M. Fedorov, Andrey S. Mikhaylov

Geographia Polonica (2018) vol. 91, iss. 4, pp. 399-411 | Full text
doi: https://doi.org/10.7163/GPol.0127 I

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Abstract

Regional socio-economic inequality is a major threat of instability in northeast Europe. The polarisation-equalization dynamics has a direct influence over the distribution of population, industry, financial resources, environmental load, and other domains of the Baltic region. The research scope covers an area of nine countries,including the Baltic coast of Germany, Poland, and north-western Russia. Official data of Eurostat and Rosstat are used to evaluate the relationship between a number of statistical indicators over a period of 2000‑2016. Research results reveal an inverse correlation between the volume of GRP per capita generated and the rate of its increase, as well as between GRP per capita and population change. A less significant direct correlation between population density and the rate of population increase found. Results emphasise cross-country differences in polarisation and equalization processes and stress that the population of the Baltic region is increasingly concentrating in capital cities. The latter is especially evident in countries with a relatively small population size. An important factor affecting the development of international cooperation in the Baltic region andnational economic growth is the high economic growth rates in the less economically developed countries. The article puts forward arguments in favour of regional equalization and advocates against polarisation strategy, including special measures to stimulate growth of urban agglomerations.

Keywords: inequality dynamics, regional divergence, polarisation, equalization, Baltic region

Gennady M. Fedorov [gfedorov@kantiana.ru], Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University A. Nevskogo 14, 236016, Kaliningrad: Russian Federation
Andrey S. Mikhaylov [mikhailov.andrey@yahoo.com], Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University A. Nevskogo 14, 236016, Kaliningrad: Russian Federation

Spatial concentration of foreign owned entities in Poland

Jarosław Michał Nazarczuk, Anna Krajewska

Geographia Polonica (2018) vol. 91, iss. 4, pp. 413-426 | Full text
doi: https://doi.org/10.7163/GPol.0128

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Abstract

Foreign direct investment plays a crucial role in global capital and trade flows. The FDI’s influence on national, regional and local economies is often the subject of public political and economic discussion, as well as numerous incentives to acquire foreign capital. The aim of this article is to identify the spatial concentrationof firms with foreign capital (FOEs) in Poland at the municipality/gmina level (LAU 2) between 1995 and 2017as well as the determinants of their location. With the use of I Moran’s statistics and spatial probit models, the intensity of the FDI location as well as their location determinants were verified. The authors also indicate the areas of spatial concentration and potential areas of positive externalities resulting from FOEs agglomeration.

Keywords: location, agglomeration, cities, foreign direct investment, FDI, determinants, spatial autocorrelation

Jarosław Michał Nazarczuk [jaroslaw.nazarczuk@uwm.edu.pl], Faculty of Economic Sciences, Department of Economic and Regional Policy University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn Oczapowskiego 4, 10‑719 Olsztyn: Poland
Anna Krajewska [a.krajewska@uwm.edu.pl], Faculty of Economic Sciences, Department of Economic and Regional Policy University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn Oczapowskiego 4, 10‑719 Olsztyn: Poland

Visegrad countries in global production networks: Value creation, control and capture

Jana Vlčková

Geographia Polonica (2018) vol. 91, iss. 4, pp. 427-448 | Full text
doi: https://doi.org/10.7163/GPol.0129

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Abstract

The Visegrad countries have become increasingly integrated into global production networks, mainly due to the increasing share of foreign value added in their exports. The automotive and electronics industries are the most integrated into global production network (GPN) with major role performed by European countries, particularly Germany. There are slight differences between the Visegrad countries, with Poland being much less dependent on exports and foreign capital, particularly due to its larger size. Overall, participation in GPN has brought benefits to the Visegrad nations, although limited attention has been paid to the costs such as dependenceon foreign capital and low value control and capture.

Keywords: global production networks, Visegrad countries, backward participation, value added, value capture

Jana Vlčková [jana.vlckova@vse.cz], World Economy Department, Faculty of International Relations University of Economics W. Churchill Sq. 1938/4, 130 67 Prague 3 – Žižkov, Prague: Czech Republic

Reurbanisation in a post-socialist city: Spatial differentiation of the population in the Kraków area (Poland)

Sławomir Kurek, Mirosław Wójtowicz

Geographia Polonica (2018) vol. 91, iss. 4, pp. 449-468 | Full text
doi: https://doi.org/10.7163/GPol.0130

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Abstract

A process of reurbanisation associated with the resurgence of inner-city housing has been observed in Western Europe since the 1980s. Nowadays this trend is not only seen in large urban areas but also in the medium-sized towns and cities of Eastern Europe. However, there is still a lack of empirical research on the spatial variation of the population change within such cities. This paper explores the process of reurbanisation in the city cores and its underlying dynamics against demographic changes, using the city of Kraków (Poland) as an example.

Keywords: reurbanisation, second demographic transition, post-socialist city, spatial disparities, Kraków, Poland

Sławomir Kurek [sgkurek@up.krakow.pl], Institute of Geography Pedagogical University of Kraków Podchorążych 2, 30‑084 Kraków: Poland
Mirosław Wójtowicz [miroslaw.wojtowicz@up.krakow.pl], Institute of Geography Pedagogical University of Kraków Podchorążych 2, 30‑084 Kraków: Poland

Green infrastructure as a determinant of the quality of urban life and a barrier to the development of a city: A case study

Agnieszka Szczepańska, Monika Wasilewicz-Pszczółkowska

Geographia Polonica (2018) vol. 91, iss. 4, pp. 469-487 | Full text
doi: https://doi.org/10.7163/GPol.0131

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Abstract

The quality of life and the residential environment in an urban space are considerably influenced by GreenInfrastructure. This results from the growing ecological awareness of society and the greater importance attached to the quality of the surrounding environment. Such an approach influences the city’s image and its perception with respect to the quality of life. Olsztyn is an example of a city with exceptionally rich natural environmental assets, located in the cleanest region of Poland. The city is developing in line with the “Olsztyn: the Garden City” slogan. The objective of the article is to compare the results of a public opinion poll among city dwellers with respect to the quality of life in terms of natural environment resources.

Keywords: green infrastructure, natural attractiveness, quality of life, city’s spatial development

Agnieszka Szczepańska [aszczep@uwm.edu.pl], Institute of Geography and Land Management University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn
Monika Wasilewicz-Pszczółkowska, Institute of Geography and Land Management University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn

Landscape texture in anthropogenically transformed regions: The example of Upper Silesia and the Dąbrowa Coal Basin (southern Poland)

Katarzyna Pukowiec-Kurda

Geographia Polonica (2018) vol. 91, iss. 4, pp. 489-500 | Full text
doi: https://doi.org/10.7163/GPol.0132

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Abstract

In recent years, we see growing importance of research on landscape texture, which enables scientists to assess landscape as to its esthetic (visual), planning, as well as ecological aspects. Analyses of landscape texture result in identification of landscape zones, classified according to their habitability, recreational potential and suitability for industry, which plays a crucial role for work on planning and strategic documents. The study area covers 12 selected municipalities of Upper Silesia and the Dąbrowa Coal Basin, which are highly industrialized regions. Combining an analysis of the degree of landscape enclosure/openness with an analysis of morphological diversity in the study area, the author identifies landscape texture units in accordance with the new, more detailed typology. This results in the emergence of 36 landscape texture types that take into account the land relief forms in the study area. For the needs of further analyses, these types are classified into three groups: open, mosaic and enclosed landscapes.

Keywords: landscape texture, landscape openness indicator, open landscape, mosaic landscape, enclosed landscape

Katarzyna Pukowiec-Kurda [katarzyna.pukowiec@us.edu.pl], Faculty of Earth Sciences University of Silesia Będzińska 60, 41‑200 Sosnowiec: Poland