Rural municipalities in Poland: development types, paths and perspectives

The report presents the results from the analysis of the population of Polish rural municipalities. The analysis was related to broadly conceived “sustained development”. An essential aspect was also associated with “comparison” (yielding “development quality”), necessitating establishment of “types” (“development types” or “paths”), within which comparison would be justified. A number of techniques were used in the study, ranging from correlation analysis, through simple linear regression and factor analysis down to cluster analysis. Based on the results from application of these techniques, a series of initial hypotheses, concerning the classification of Polish rural municipalities, could be verified. The analyses, referring to a large extent to the spatial aspect of the population of Polish rural municipalities, enabled also visual verification of the hypotheses mentioned. Likewise, the types established refer to a large extent to the spatial position of the municipalities and the structures thereof. Given the characteristics of the types, their validity for policy making in terms of potential future developments and their consequences, could also be established. This refers in a special manner to the processes, leading to excess congestion and disorderly urbanisation, to spatial segregation, as well as marginalisation and socio-economic collapse. Of particular importance is the capacity of assessing, in addition to the spatial aspect, the current and potential dimensions of these phenomena