The Origin of a Symbolic Urban Regime – Case Study of the Special Economic Zone in Mielec Cover Image

Powstanie symbolicznego reżimu miejskiego na przykładzie gry o specjalną strefę ekonomiczną w Mielcu
The Origin of a Symbolic Urban Regime – Case Study of the Special Economic Zone in Mielec

Author(s): Wojciech Jarczewski
Subject(s): Social Sciences
Published by: EUROREG - Uniwersytet Warszawski, Regional Studies Association - Sekcja Polska
Keywords: Mielec; special economic zone; urban regime; local development

Summary/Abstract: The majority of major local actors of the city of Mielec have united in the idea of creating the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the 1st half of 90s. The informal coalition of representatives of various bodies and institutions quickly started to have access to institutional resources, that enabled them to control the decision-making and took over the social leadership. The young coalition managed also to gain the support from the government. Such informal deal was characterised by the most typical features for urban regime of symbolic type and develop to all actors a great mobilisation for finding new progress tendencies of the city. The strength of the coalition and the success of the regime may be measured by the first SEZ in Poland that has been created in 1995 in Mielec. The legal regulations for functioning of SEZs in Poland were developed mainly by participants of this regime having a visible stigma of local city problems.

  • Issue Year: 7/2006
  • Issue No: 23
  • Page Range: 107-118
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: Polish