Prof. Paweł Churski (Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza)

Paweł Churski, Professor of Social Sciences and Economic Geographer; he works at the Faculty of Human Geography and Planning at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań; he is currently the Dean of the Faculty and, since 2009, Head of the Department of Regional and Local Studies. Chair of the Conference of Heads of Geography Departments, Chair of the Executive Committee of the Union of Universities for the Development of Study Programmes in Spatial Planning, Vice-Chair of the Committee on Spatial Planning of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and Vice-President of the Poznań Society of Friends of Science. He is a member of, amongst others, the Association of European Schools of Planning (AESOP), the European Regional Studies Association (ERSA) and the American Association of Geographers (AAG). Author of over 200 academic publications, including 16 monographs and 26 edited volumes. His research interests include, amongst others: issues of local and regional development in Poland and Europe, including those related to climate change, the just transition process and building resilience; changes in the drivers of development and regional policy in Poland and the European Union; as well as the challenges of responsible research and innovation, including the role of universities in their implementation. Member of the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy’s Expert Group on the future of EU Cohesion Policy. Member of the Expert Group on national recommendations for the just transition process in Poland’s coal-mining regions.

Title of the presentation:

The challenges of contemporary spatial disparities in development. Are changes in industry and services altering the position and geography of the periphery in Poland?

ABSTRACT:

The spatial polarisation of socio-economic development is a fundamental research and practical issue in the context of European mechanisms for levelling the playing field. Deficits in the efficiency and effectiveness of cohesion policy interventions result in the entrenchment of marginalisation processes, leading to the emergence of so-called ‘left-behind areas’. These areas are characterised by multidimensional developmental setbacks, which systematically determine a decline in the quality of life and living standards of their inhabitants. These circumstances are fuelling academic and political discourse around the concept of territorial justice. The lack of such justice is increasingly being exploited for political ends in populist rhetoric, which translates into specific voting behaviour in regions described as ‘places that don’t matter’. The extent to which these areas have adapted to global megatrends remains uneven; this applies, amongst other things, to the technological transformation of industry and the implementation of new organisational and digital models in the service sector.

They also demonstrate varying levels of resilience to the effects of asymmetric external shocks – ranging from the 2008 financial crisis, through the COVID-19 pandemic, to the geopolitical and economic consequences of the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine. The synergy of these factors determines the increasing polarisation observed particularly at the intra-regional level, widening the development gap between individual territories. Consequently, the sub-regional level becomes the key arena for identifying, explaining and planning mitigation measures. In this context, urban functional areas (UFAs) take on a particular role, as they reflect the actual network links between urban centres and their peripheral zones. Medium-sized and small towns, by generating their own spheres of influence, shape the relational environment. It is precisely these relationships that have a decisive influence on the development trajectories and endogenous potential of localities within an intra-regional system, thereby determining the formation of contemporary spatial disparities in development.

The aim of the presentation is to outline the direction and scope of changes in spatial development patterns in Poland, with particular emphasis on peripheral areas. The presentation draws attention both to the evolution of the theoretical foundations for explaining the processes of polarisation and diffusion in space, and to selected empirical findings resulting from research projects led by the author. Particular attention is paid to the categories of internal peripheries, which were identified on the basis of the author’s own delimitation of urban functional areas in Poland. In characterising these areas, drawing on case studies, an attempt is made to illustrate the impact of contemporary changes in industry and services on shifts in their developmental status and their spatial distribution across Poland.