Dynamics of development of the largest cities - Evidence from Poland

Abstract The research focused on the areas adjacent to the city, analysing the dynamics of changes in urban space. In connection with the above, a research hypothesis has been proposed that the residential area per capita is the most reliable indicator of spatial changes in the urbanised area. The authors propose a methodology for analysing the dynamics of urban spaces in six the largest cities in Poland which were surveyed in 2002–2016. The proposed method is based on an analysis of the trend and the intensity of changes concerning geolocation data. The input data were obtained from national statistical registers kept for administrative units (municipalities and communes). The proposed method makes it possible to analyze dynamic the phenomenon of urban sprawl. Based on the conducting research we confirmed that the neighbouring communes (mostly rural areas) are presently under the strong influence of developing cities, what can be caused by migrations from rural to urban areas. The relative dynamics of urbanisation is much higher than in the centres of the largest cities.