Built environment of the city in the conditions of demographic collapse. The example of Łódź Cover Image

Zagospodarowanie przestrzenne miasta w warunkach zapaści demograficznej. Przykład Łodzi
Built environment of the city in the conditions of demographic collapse. The example of Łódź

Author(s): Mariusz Lamprecht
Subject(s): Social Sciences, Geography, Regional studies, Sociology, Rural and urban sociology
Published by: Uniwersytet Opolski
Keywords: depopulation, shrinking city; aging; city planning; urban environment; built environment; quality of life; Łódź

Summary/Abstract: The article presents selected issues which are relevant to the demographic problems of a shrinking city in the context of the built environment and its role in this process. One of the biggest challenges for Lodz, a city particularly strongly affected by the process of depopulation and ageing, is to improve the shape of urban space. Research show that well-designed and attractive space is of higher valued than space deprived of these features. This indicates that the appropriate planning and shaping of the land development in Łódź could be an important tool in improving the attractiveness of the city and in modelling further development of the city. There are two particularly important issues related one to another in Lodz: strong degradation of urban fabric in the downtown as well as the negative changes in the structure and in number of urban population. It seems, however, that the technical modernization and spatial-functional changes are the keys to improve the condition of the city more than the pro-family policy or other activities affecting demographics. The present text includes an attempt to develop this hypothesis, remaining a part of a wider research project.

  • Issue Year: 2016
  • Issue No: 21
  • Page Range: 68-84
  • Page Count: 17
  • Language: English, Polish