Urban Infrastructure Facilities as an Essential Public Investment for Sustainable Cities – Indispensable but Unwelcome Objects of Social Conflicts. Case Study of Warsaw, Poland

AbstractThe article shows the need for a adoption of urban and spatial management documents in the areas/cities of great housing expansion which also demands location of other infrastructures objects and services areas. Development of urban infrastructure is essential for formation of sustainable cities. However location and construction process of new public investments of urban infrastructure both technical and social, lead to numerous protests of inhabitants of local communities. Lack of sufficient information based on research and/or disbelief in its reliability, causes concerns of local communities for negative effect of the investment on the natural environment, local inhabitants and decrease of property value. Thus, the local inhabitants express their concerns as an objection for the location of such investments in the vicinity. Such protests are described as the NIMBY syndrome (Not In My Back Yard). Therefore, the choice of a convenient location for these objects among alternative locations is often time-consuming and extend launching of investments process and start-up and as a result block further sustainable city development.First part of the article analyzes effect of changing urbanized areas of the city in relation to demand for development of technical infrastructure facilities and grid with focus on waste management the wastewater treatment and heat and power plants with lack of acceptance for location of new objects. There are also described issues concerning spatial and urban development on the regional and local level.Second part of the article analyzes waste management facilities location in relation to other infrastructure objects needed for integrated waste and wastewater treatment on the example of Warsaw city in correlation to the spatial planning documents and buildings land development structure surrounding these objects