Evolution of Decision-Making System Concerning Location of Investments in Poland’s Administrative Districts and Regions

Over 100 years have lapsed since the Construction Act for the Royal Capital City of Cracow was passed on 18th July 1883. Since that time the legal regulations concerning spatial planning, architectonic and technical-construction solutions have changed many times. After 123 years of Poland’s partitions, the first construction act was issued in 1928 in the form of the Decree of Polish Republic President, which contained technical-construction regulations and principles of building towns and settlements. The new construction act after the Second World War came out in 1961. Constant legal and economic changes, and especially the reform of political, financial and self-government systems after 1990 made it necessary to adopt a completely new act of law thus abandoning the method of its constant updating. The present construction law and regulations pertaining to spatial development were introduced on the strength of the Act of 7th July 1994, which came into force as from 1st January 1995. The division of powers between the administrative district, region, province and the central institutions is the first step towards brining the Polish law closer to the European regulations, an attempt to increase the independence and self-government of administrative districts imposing an obligation on the authorities and investors to include in their location decisions the costs and benefits with a due respect for ownership rights, and mainly private ownership.Zadanie pt. „Digitalizacja i udostępnienie w Cyfrowym Repozytorium Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego kolekcji czasopism naukowych wydawanych przez Uniwersytet Łódzki” nr 885/P-DUN/2014 dofinansowane zostało ze środków MNiSW w ramach działalności upowszechniającej naukę