Metamorphosis of the Polish Village as a Result of Semi-Urbanisation

Abstract

The last decade of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first centuries brought many changes into the landscape of the Polish countryside. They have resulted from changes in its functioning and various processes initiated after World War II, which became apparent or intensified after the political and economic transformation in 1989. The ongoing globalisation and intensifying suburbanisation contributed to the dynamic development of suburban zones. The penetration of rural areas by the city structure and urban lifestyle is most evident in the areas of impact of the largest cities in the country. The changes are intensified by the slowdown in the development of rural areas, migration of the rural population to cities and residents of urban areas to the countryside and the development of non-agricultural economic activity in these areas. These changes are conditioned by the semi-urbanisation of rural settlements, which is defined as the socio-economic and morphological changes of the countryside, which has included contemporary country gardening along with quasi-urbanisation but do not lead to total urbanisation. It does not result in rural areas being included in the administrative boundaries of cities or transforming into a developed city. These changes are visible both in the changing spatial development of rural areas and in the social sphere. Spatial conflicts are widespread in places where the traditional, rural layout of the village is permeated by modern urban housing and urban lifestyles contrasting with the traditional rural culture of the region. In the light of the extensive problems of the village discussed in this article, the focus is on the analysis of the consequences of spatial and landscape processes related to rural building traditions, regionalism, the way of shaping the landscape, home gardens and the surrounding countryside. The issue of social behaviour related to the migration of the urban population to the countryside is also presented. The selected research area is located on the border of urban–rural and rural municipalities located along state road 44 in the Kraków impact zone. The conclusions can be used to develop guidelines for the protection of the cultural landscape of rural areas undergoing intensified semi-urbanisation resulting from their location within the city's impact zone, which may apply to the emerging local zoning plan and zoning conditions and directions.