Abstract

A study of the zone adjoining the metropolis area of Tricity (Poland) was conducted on the basis of analyses of changes in spatial development, outline planning decisions and local plans of spatial development. Localities placed at several dozen kilometres from strongly urbanized areas do not constitute metropolis outskirts. The vicinity of large urban centres is an obstacle to the development of localities as self-sufficient units attractive to live in. The future of these localities is multifold, smooth and generally hard to define. In these localities local plans of spatial development fail, being the key planning document regulating spatial development in Poland. Having been drawn up, these plans work for many years, hampering innovative investments, and their amendments require undertaking long-lasting procedures. The pace and character of changes occurring in the zones around the metropolis area generate a need to continuously amend local plans of spatial development. Repeatedly regulations prove incompliant with the needs of the local community, in particular with regard to investment and development areas. Urban planning processes call for ongoing analysis, and subsequently implementation of enhanced regulations. The designing methods applied in the field of IT, called Agile methodologies, meet the said problematic issues. In localities of an unclear direction of development introduction of flexible urban planning processes based on the Agile methods may constitute a positive alternative to classical town planning regulations frequently implementing planning premises not suited to rapidly changing needs and deepening errors resulting from decisions taken in unspecified economic conditions.

Authors (2)