Przemysław Śleszyński

Abstract

The unprecedented growth of immigration into Poland after 2013, especially from Ukraine, raises optimism among employers, and concerns among some social and political actors. The goal of this article is to contribute to that discussion, with a view to identifying a detailed geographical localisation of labour migrants employed under the simplified procedure (on the basis of employers’ declarations of a consent to employ a foreigner) – as an important legal channel by which the influx of foreign workers into Poland is taking place. Analyses of the register of declarations for 2012-2017 reveal a certain weakening of the geographical concentration of the foreign labour force in Poland. The highest intensity of foreign employment has been observed in rural areas, while the greatestnumbers of declarations for work have been registered in large cities. The geographical distribution of the foreign labour force in Poland has been shaped by activities of employment agencies especially in recent years.

Keywords: immigration, Ukrainian migrants, foreign employment, seasonal employment, labour market, simplified procedure

Agata Górny [agata@gorny.edu.pl], Centre of Migration Research, Faculty of Economic Sciences University of Warsaw Krakowskie Przedmieście 26/28, 00-927 Warsaw: Poland
Przemysław Śleszyński [psleszyn@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania PAN

Abstract

The article presents the main topics and evolution of scholars' views on the impact of demographic phenomena and processes on broadly understood local development in Poland. The seventy-year post-war period (1946‑2016) was examined. First, three categories of demographic changes were identified and analysed: (1) demographic development and population concentration (2) depopulation processes and (3) population ageing. Next, the impact of these changes on socio-economic development, mainly on a local scale, was established. The following topics were taken into account: social insurance system, labour markets, consumer demand, demand for public services, impact of population change on local spatial development and planning,and local government public finance.

Keywords: demographic processes, local development, urbanisation, depopulation, population ageing

Przemysław Śleszyński [psleszyn@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania PAN
Rafał Wiśniewski [rafwis@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania PAN
Barbara Szejgiec-Kolenda [b.szejgiec@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organisation, Polish Academy of Sciences Twarda 51/55, 00-818 Warsaw: Poland

Piotr Rosik [rosik@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00‑818 Warszawa, Poland
Tomasz Komornicki [t.komorn@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00‑818 Warszawa, Poland
Marcin Stępniak [stepniak@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00‑818 Warszawa, Poland
Przemysław Śleszyński [psleszyn@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania PAN
Sławomir Goliszek [sgoliszek@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00‑818 Warszawa, Poland
Wojciech Pomianowski [wpo@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00‑818 Warszawa, Poland
Karol Kowalczyk [karol.kowalczyk@poczta.umcs.lublin.pl], Uniwersytet Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej w Lublinie, Wydział Nauk o Ziemi i Gospodarki Przestrzennej

Abstract

Presented here is a map of Poland drawn up to show differences in values obtained for the Shannon DiversityIndex, as calculated using Corine Land Cover data for the 2012 situation regarding the country’s landscape.The level of detail is that of the Polish commune (gmina – unit of local-government administration), so theanalysis may prove to be of practical value. The same method gained previous use in depicting issues relevantto Poland’s 2011 National Spatial Development Concept 2030.

Keywords: landscape diversity, landscape typology, land use, Corine Land Cover, Shannon Diversity Index, anthropogenic landscape transformation

Przemysław Śleszyński [psleszyn@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania PAN
Jerzy Solon [j.solon@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00‑818 Warszawa, Poland

Abstract

The study presents the delimitation of problem areas carried out at the Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization of PAS on behalf of the Ministry of Development of Poland (2015-2016), first and foremost to meet the practical needs of the development policy being pursued at state, regional and local government levels. The study was elaborated for the 2479 Polish communes (gminas) by reference to 21 indicators mainly concerned with the state of the natural environment and socio-economic conditions, as well as features of spatial and local development. The three categories of area ultimately identified were the natural, the social and the economic aspects, the combination of which yielded several main types of problem area. A last stage then entailed a division into regions, i.e. the designation and naming of particular geographical areas.

Keywords: problem areas, delimitation, development policy, regional policy

Przemysław Śleszyński [psleszyn@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania PAN
Jerzy Bański [jbanski@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania im. S. Leszczyckiego PAN
Marek Degórski [m.degor@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00‑818 Warszawa, Poland
Tomasz Komornicki [t.komorn@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organisation, Polish Academy of Sciences Twarda 51/55, 00-818 Warsaw: Poland

Abstract

This study presents mapping of Poland on the basis of a synthetic index of spatial accessibility to administrative and settlement centres of three categories, i.e. voivodeship (capitals of the country’s 18 province-regions), sub-regional and poviat (i.e. the capitals of county-level administrative units). Temporal accessibility by means of private car was referred to, on the basis of the author’s own traffic speed model, while the starting point for the map work was isochrone analysis carried out for the centres of the three aforementioned categories. Results were then summed using an original algorithm that weights different categories of accessibility to the urban centres in relation to the latter’s demographic potential.

Keywords: temporal accessibility, spatial accessibility, transport accessibility, accessibility indices, proximity, peripherality, settlement hierarchy, Poland

Przemysław Śleszyński [psleszyn@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania PAN

Jan W. Owsiński, Systems Research Institute Polish Academy of Sciences Newelska 6, 01-447 Warsaw, Poland
Przemysław Śleszyński [psleszyn@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania PAN

Abstract

The paper presents a study of changes in the overall population of Poland and in the number and proportion of the 60+ age group. Popular census data spanning the period 1960-2011 was analysed at the level of commune-equivalent units (LAU 2). The study identified 9 types of communes based on two criteria: absolute population change and the proportion of the 60+ age group.

Keywords: population ageing, depopulation, concentration, demographic typology

Rafał Wiśniewski [rafwis@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00‑818 Warszawa, Poland
Barbara Szejgiec-Kolenda [b.szejgiec@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organisation, Polish Academy of Sciences Twarda 51/55, 00-818 Warsaw: Poland
Przemysław Śleszyński [psleszyn@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania PAN

Przemysław Śleszyński [psleszyn@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania PAN

Abstract

Keywords: geography of enterprise, corporate geography, control function, decision function, economic power, enterprise, Poland

Przemysław Śleszyński [psleszyn@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania PAN

Abstract

The article described the activities and the effects of successive editorial offices of Geographia Polonica from its foundation in 1964 to the present. The topics of the contents of the periodical were analyzed and information compiled on the structure and the qualitative characteristics of the published materials, including an analysis of the geographic origins of the authors. Information regarding the editors and the editorial bodies were collected and the editorial-publishing changes were analyzed. Finally, the challenges to be faced by the editorial office in the coming years, connected with the periodical’s profile and its influence, were identified.

Przemysław Śleszyński [psleszyn@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania PAN
Piotr Siłka [psilka@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00‑818 Warszawa, Poland
Beata Zielińska [b.ziel@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00‑818 Warszawa, Poland

Abstract

The map shows the diversity of the area surface of Poland in terms of its morphometry and land cover. BothSRTM-3 and Corine Land Cover (2006) satellite data were used. The transformation and combination of the contents of these two databases resulted in a classification of the landscape of Earth surface, especially in terms of physiognomy. The content of the map is an attempt to find a comprehensive and possibly synthetic solution, presenting the diversity of landscape. The data were arranged by communes, which has practical significance related to the assessment of these units for the purpose of spatial planning.

Keywords: landscape diversity, terrain, relief, geomorphometry, land use, SRTM-3, Corine Land Cover, Poland

Przemysław Śleszyński [psleszyn@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania PAN

Abstract

To mark the 50th anniversary of Geographia Polonica, we are publishing an interview with Professor Leszek Antoni Kosiński, who was a member of its first editorial team.

Leszek Kosiński, Institute of Geography PAN, Warsaw
Przemysław Śleszyński [psleszyn@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania PAN

Abstract

This study presents the delimitation of functional urban regions in Poland modified using the Nyusten-Daceymethod based on the data regarding commuting in 2006. The modification involved establishing an administrative and settlement hierarchy to serve as the basis on which the order of precedence of flows to individual communes was determined, and supplementing it with the combination of inflows and outflows in a given hubregion. A total of 456 individual regions were isolated, including 1 capital region, 21 regional, 54 sub-regional, 212 local (powiat), and 168 other local regions.

Keywords: functional urban region, daily urban system, commuting, Nystuen-Dacey method, Poland

Przemysław Śleszyński [psleszyn@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania PAN

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of citations to Geographia Polonica, a leading English-language geographical journal edited by Polish geographers, boasting its 50-year-long history. The examination was based on Google Scholar and its Publish or Perish application, that is the most comprehensive search engine of citations which returns the most representative results for Polish sources, particularly in social sciences. Due to the nature of Google Scholar – it only explores existing materials shared in the Internet – the study shows a series of regularities in contemporary citations.

Keywords: bibliometrics, citations, journals, Google Scholar, geographical publications, development of geography in Poland, Geographia Polonica

Przemysław Śleszyński [psleszyn@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania PAN

Abstract

Presented here with reference to Poland is a new method by which to assess the efficiency of a country’s transport network in relation to its settlement network. The work described proceeds on the assumption that efficiency is greatest where connections by road for private cars take the shortest route in a straight line, without restrictions or limitations in the course of the journey made. Real barriers and limitations arising from bends and speed limits reduce traffic speeds, thereby limiting the efficiency in transport-related and settlement terms.

Keywords: efficiency, effectiveness, spatial accessibility, transport network, settlement network, travel time, Google Map, Poland

Przemysław Śleszyński [psleszyn@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania PAN

Abstract

An essential requirement for the development, not only of tourism but also of most sectors of economy, is the development of transport infrastructure and adequate accessibility of areas. Accessibility is an important element for tourism development. The Polish-Slovak borderland is currently suffering from inadequate routes to the region and cross-border connections because of the mountains. The borderland are characterised by the poor accessibility and bad condition of the roads. Unfortunately, tourism development analyses and studies carried out over recent decades in Poland and Slovakia have not addressed the problems. The aims of the article was to analyse the Polish-Slovak borderland road accessibility and the key transport solutions required for successful road development. The article presents the results of the analysis on road accessibility to the tourist destinations on the Polish-Slovak borderland. Opportunities for enhancing tourist potential through improved road accessibility of the borderland and new road investments are noted. The accessibility of the area was calculated separately for general tourism, and medium-term tourism (long weekends, 2-4 days) in two years: 2010 and 2030.

Keywords: road accessibility, road transport, time-based accessibility, tourist development, regional development, demand, isochrones, potential model, Carpathians, Polish-Slovak borderland

Marek Więckowski [marekw@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00‑818 Warszawa, Poland
Daniel Michniak [geogmich@savba.sk], Institute of Geography Slovak Academy of Sciences Stefánikova 49, 814 73 Bratislava: Slovakia
Maria Bednarek-Szczepańska [bednarek@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00‑818 Warszawa, Poland
Branislav Chrenka [chrenka@sacr.sk], Institute of Geography Slovak Academy of Sciences Stefánikova 49, 814 73 Bratislava: Slovakia
Vladimir Ira [geogira@savba.sk], Institute of Geography Slovak Academy of Sciences Stefánikova 49, 814 73 Bratislava: Slovakia
Tomasz Komornicki [t.komorn@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00‑818 Warszawa, Poland
Piotr Rosik [rosik@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00‑818 Warszawa, Poland
Marcin Stępniak [stepniak@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00‑818 Warszawa, Poland
Vladimir Szekely [szekely@savba.sk], Institute of Geography Slovak Academy of Sciences Stefánikova 49, 814 73 Bratislava: Slovakia
Przemysław Śleszyński [psleszyn@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania PAN
Dariusz Świątek [swiatekd@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00‑818 Warszawa, Poland
Rafał Wiśniewski [rafwis@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00‑818 Warszawa, Poland

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of the population-density distributions present in 147 Polish towns and cities of 30,000 inhabitants or more, as of 2002. The determination of these distributions was by reference to concentric rings 1 km across, with numbers of inhabitants being determined on the basis of aggregate data for 14,000 statistical districts, the numbers per centre ranging from 16 in the case of Łuków to 1346 in Warsaw. The districtsin question cover a total area of 9800 km2 and account overall for some 16.8 million inhabitants of Poland. This makes this the most exhaustive analysis of population-density distributions ever carried out for the country. The results of the analyses point to the wide spread presence of function-related distributions of population density in the largest Polish cities, albeit irrespective of their size as referred to more precisely. A clear majority (88%) of centres are characterised by a distribution model in line with either the exponential or power functions, or derivatives. The ‘crater effect’ indicative of depopulation in city centres is met with only rarely, in just a very few towns and cities, this perhaps reflecting the relative youthfulness of Poland’s urban areas.

Keywords: population density distribution, population density profile, population density model, urban population, Poland’s cities

Przemysław Śleszyński [psleszyn@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania PAN

Przemysław Śleszyński [psleszyn@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania PAN

Abstract

The paper presents a range of geomorphometric analyses of Polish territory using both classical and new approaches.The classical outcomes include maps of hypsometry, relative altitude, angle of slope and exposure, as well as altitudesbroken down into ranges and angle of slopes in percentages broken down by administrative province. The new approachincluded the presentation of land relief through standard deviations of relative elevation in regular geometric fields.Maps of hypsometry, elevation difference, angle of slope, exposure and standard deviation were also presented. Thesurvey involved elevation data from the SRTM-3 satellite with a resolution of 3×3' (60-65×90 m), which were converted forresearch purposes into a grid of 125×125 m and then into hexagons with a surface area of 0.14 and 3 km2. This level ofdetail makes the data particularly useful in morphometric analyses, including in applied research. Certain terrain coverageelements, such as forests, especially in lowland and flatland areas, affected the data and would have to be filteredout in applications requiring even higher accuracy.

Keywords: morphometry, geomorphometry, topographic quantification, land relief, land-surface parameters, SRTM, cartographical analyses, Poland

Przemysław Śleszyński [psleszyn@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania PAN

Abstract

The demand for air services is analysed using a methodology based on catchment area designation by driving-time zones (time-wise accessibility by individual car transport). Calculated for the zones in question were: absolute and relative demographic demand, absolute economic demand (number of businesses within a particular catchment area) and relative economic de-mand. The study suggests four variants where demand is concerned, according to existing and planned locations, as of 2008 and 2015.

Keywords: airports, air travel, demand forecasting, demographic and economic demand, catch-ment area, market area, spatial accessibility, Poland.

Tomasz Komornicki [t.komorn@twarda.pan.pl], Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00‑818 Warszawa, Poland
Przemysław Śleszyński [psleszyn@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania PAN

Abstract

While the pre-1989 urban structure in the Polish capital city, Warsaw, was well diagnosed pre-1989,existing spatial structures virtually disintegrated in the wake of adjustments to free-market conditionsfollowing the collapse of communism. The work described here has thus sought to investigate how thechanges in spatial structure alluded to have affected Warsaw’s post-1989 accessibility patterns. Specifically, use has been made of gravity-model-based indicators, disaggregated by commuting mode, inexamining the intra-urban differences in job and worker accessibility. Data analysis is based on the 1998Comprehensive Transport Survey conducted in Warsaw. Results show that residential and employmentaccessibility for both automobiles and public transport exhibits a concentric though irregular patterndeclining in intensity with increasing distance from the central area. Overall, the patterns indicate thedominance of the central area in the urban structure, with variations in accessibility by mode and similargeographical extents of accessibility of both modes.Key words: accessibility, commuting, journey-to-work,

Keywords: accessibility, commuting, journey-to-work, urban spatial structure, Warsaw.

Michael A. Niedzielski [m.niedzielski@twarda.pan.pl], Department of Geography, The Ohio State University, 1036 Derby Hall, 154 North Oval Mall, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Przemysław Śleszyński [psleszyn@twarda.pan.pl], Instytut Geografii i Przestrzennego Zagospodarowania PAN