The Polish Urban Sprawl. An Economic Perspective

Piotr LITYŃSKI1, Artur HOŁUJ1, Vasile ZOTIC2
1 Krakow University of Economics, Faculty of Finance, Department of Regional Development, Krakow, POLAND
2 Babeș-Bolyai University, Faculty of Geography, Centre for Research on Settlements and Urbanism, Cluj-Napoca, ROMANIA
E-mail: litynskp@uek.krakow.pl, holuja@uek.krakow.pl, zoticv@geografie.ubbcluj.ro
Pages: 95-105

Abstract. The research focuses on the economic aspects of urban sprawl while analyzing the population located in Zielonki suburban municipality of Krakow (Poland), one of the most developed residential areas contributing essentially to the urban sprawl. The conducted study shows a profile of society that enhances the phenomenon of urban sprawl, paying close attention to the economic side of the functioning of residents by presenting the costs associated with owning a suburban home and travel costs. The inference was based on a survey conducted on the newcomers, residents settled here between 2000 and 2013, representing triggering factors of urban sprawl. Among the conclusions of the study, we note that households in Poland are represented by well-educated, highly-waged, married persons, under the age of 40 with two children. These families live in average-size houses, which are often private propriety, with no mortgage. They form a society dependent on cars, yet mostly using inexpensive second hand cars. Thus, the choice of living in the suburban areas of Krakow proves to be driven by cost-efficiency and residential independency reasons, the distance to the city centre being easily overcome.

K e y w o r d s:  urban sprawl, residential area, households, sprawl costs, transportation