Map of Dynamics of Changes in Cities and Neighbouring Municipalities and Communes

Abstract

This study analyses urban areas which comprise an urban centre, neighbouring communes and municipalities. As an administrative unit, a city is an organism full of internal and external links and it undergoes constant change at the micro- and macro-levels. A city’s internal structure is modified over time as it responds to changes in the local environment and those changes often affect its neighbourhood. This article proposes a methodology for analysing the dynamics of urban spaces in five Polish cities 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 method was verified for a group of municipalities and communes, creating a uniform urbanised area (a city and neighbouring municipalities and communes). The analysis was based on the assumption that dwellings constitute the largest part of a city and that they are most susceptible to change. An observer examining the city from within will note that a critical level reached (an observer positioned in a rural area will report a decrease in the surface tension of the urban/rural boundary).