Centralization and decentralization processes in Warsaw agglomeration 1950-2002

Przedstawiono przejście aglomeracji warszawskiej od fazy rozwoju względnej centralizacji do fazy względnej decentralizacji. Ukazano złożony charakter zmian w rozmieszczeniu ludności i miejsc pracy oraz ich uwarunkowania w ostatnim półwieczu - w warunkach gospodarki planowanej centralnie i gospodarki rynkowej.The paper outlines the transformation of the Warsaw agglomeration from the phase of relative centralization to relative decentralization. It discusses the complex nature of changes in the distribution of population and jobs and their underlying factors in the last five decades, under the conditions of centrally planned economy and market economy. At the suburbanization stage in the market economy context, rural suburban areas (mainly those bordering on Warsaw) are characterized by a faster rate of growth in the number of jobs, apartments and population. The process of job loss in the downtown district of the city (Śródmieście) was halted, and in the 1990s Warsaw saw a considerable increase in the number of jobs, accompanied by an absolute decrease in the city's population (mainly as a result of negative birth rate), which however was relatively slower than in the 1970s and 1980s. At the same time, the housing stock is gradually decreasing as compared to the 1980s, which is typical of cities entering the disurbanization stage. The agglomeration has been protected from this owing to its extensive investment activity in the 1990s