Zagrożenie osuwiskami a planowanie przestrzenne w wybranych gminach podhalańskich
Landslide hazard and spatial planning in selected municipalities of the Podhale Region

Summary/Abstract: Landslide movements are one of the most serious natural hazards in the Carpathians. The paper presents the scale of the threat they pose to buildings in four Podhale communes: Biały Dunajec (Tatra County) as well as Szaflary, Nowy Targ, and the city of Nowy Targ (Nowy Targ County). Information on landslides was obtained from the landslide database of the Landslide Protection System (SOPO). This data was compared with the current state of development, with particular emphasis on historic buildings and buildings of social importance. The planning documents of the municipalities were then analysed with regard to the designation of landslide-prone areas. It was found, among other things, that in the study area 21 buildings are located on active landslides, 127 on periodically active landslides and 287 within inactive landslides. Additionally, 681 buildings are located in areas considered to be at risk from mass movements and in close proximity to landslides. Mostly, single-family houses and outbuildings are located in landslide areas or deemed at risk from mass movements; however, there are also buildings of social importance, e.g. schools, a church, a municipal cultural centre, a sports hall and ski lift stations. In the planning documents of the municipalities, the areas at risk of landslides and mass movements are mostly designated for forests and woodlands, agricultural land, green areas and also recreational areas. Nevertheless, some of these areas allow for housing, services and low-impact production. It was determined that 4.4% of the existing buildings in the study area are at risk of landslides. Although this percentage may not seem high, it is worth noting that most of the territory of the studied municipalities is flat, and urban development is concentrated in those areas. Nearly one in twenty buildings is located in a hazardous zone, and local spatial plans do not fully prevent further development in such locations.

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