Air pollution is one of the important environmental problems in Poland. The main cause of its occurrence is emissions associated with individual heating of buildings. The reduction of the primary energy demand in a building is influenced by its proper thermal modernization, including in particular insulating. In view of the above, this article presents the results of studies on the possible environmental benefits of thermal modernization of single-family houses for the area of Southern Poland. The analysis was limited to determining the impact of measures to reduce air pollution emissions by insulating the building envelope of single-family houses. The research was conducted for two voivodeships: Śląskie and Małopolskie. Its aim is to identify the financial costs and achievable ecological effects of the thermal modernization of single-family buildings. The geographical selection of the research area was based on the fact that it covers the most polluted region in Poland. This region is characterized by many features that influence poor air quality. Among these features, the most important are: diversified building structure, a diverse topography, and very high population density. To limit multiple variables, we have selected a scenario method that has already been used in similar research. Four scenarios were established to show the relationship between the value of emission reductions and the level of funding for thermal modernization. The analysis allows a comparison of the effectiveness of individual variants and the transposition of their results into the possibilities of action in the region. This research will help to supplement the knowledge of the impact of insulating building envelopes on reducing pollutant emissions by reducing the energy demand of a building. They also identify a possible link between the level of this reduction and the grant amount for thermal modernization. As a result, it was found that a high share of external funding—stimulating the tendency of the inhabitants of the analyzed voivodeships to effective thermal modernization, and thus reducing the buildings’ energy consumption—has a significant impact on the improvement of air quality.

The progressive development of shopping centers in the world affects the urban structure of cities. These facilities are constantly evolving, which also entails changes in the way their vicinity is shaped. In this context, this article deals with the trend in the way of locating and developing shopping center areas, showing the changes taking place over the years. The subject of investigations are the areas of Kraków’s shopping centers—their spatial distribution and the way the land is developed. The aim of the research was to characterize and assess the spatial development of the analyzed shopping centers, to determine the trends in the location and characteristic urban indicators. This made it possible to verify whether possible changes in the way new investments of this type are shaped should be sought in order to improve the quality of the urban environment. To assess the spatial distribution of shopping centers, standard deviation ellipse analysis was used, as well as the nearest neighbor method. In order to determine the parameters of development of shopping centers, basic urban indicators were used, i.e., building plot ratio (BPR), floor area ratio (FAR), and green plot ratio (GPR). Spatial analysis was performed using QGIS software. Studies have shown that brownfield investments are scattered along the north–south axis of the city, while greenfield investments are located at a greater distance from its central area. Over the years, there has been a gradual concentration of shopping centers, but they are still characterized by dispersion. The results of analyses of changes in the land development of their areas indicate that over the years there has been an imperceptible trend of creating objects occupying an increasing part of the investment plot. In turn, the share of total leaf area of greenery is slightly reduced. With the increase in distance from the city center, indicators regarding the floor area and gross floor area of shopping centers are clearly decreasing. On the other hand, the share of greenery increases mildly, although this index remains at a level not exceeding 20%. These results indicate the need to take action to enforce a greater share of greenery within the areas of shopping centers and the need to care for the quality of their surroundings in order to ensure sustainable spatial development of the city.

A modern shopping centre is often built as a multi-functional facility. It constitutes a place that generates the customer traffic, and consequently a demand for a relatively big number of parking spaces. A characteristic group of shopping centres are facilities erected in the vicinity of transport hubs, combining different means of transport. This study focuses on the shopping centres located near the railway stations. The railway station and the shopping centre are examples of buildings which fulfil different functions, and yet Poland has seen more and more projects combining these two types of facilities. This paper attempts to determine the influence of the shopping centre integrated with the railway station onto the functions and significance of the railway station building. It also touches upon the aspect of accessibility of the individual structures, particularly to pedestrians. Two shopping centres are considered herein within the scheme of the comparative analysis: “Galeria Krakowska” in Cracow and “Avenida” in Poznan. Both facilities came into being as parts of the construction of the new transport centres located near the main passenger railway stations in both cities. These areas are located in inner cities or nearby, which makes them the potential representational venues. In the result of the study, a tendency to the design shopping centres directly combined with a railway station, e.g. via passages with service outlets, has been observed. It seems that the railway station ceases to be a fully independent structure. In Cracow, it is located underneath the railway platforms, constituting a connector between the shopping centre and the coach station. In Poznan, the railway station is located above some of the railway stations and is linked with the “Avenida” shopping centre via a shopping passage. It has been observed that in both cases it is difficult to separate, both spatially and visually, the new railway station building from the building of the shopping centre, which seems to make the shopping centre take over the function of the edifice of the railway station, welcoming and bidding farewell to passengers. The building of the shopping centre in a way becomes the railway station building. The function of the transport hub, combining different means of transport, does not always entail comfortable pedestrian accessibility. For example in Poznan, some of the railway platforms are not accessible directly from the buildings of the railway station or the shopping centre. Furthermore, this paper points to the impact of such investments on the intended use of former railway station buildings. It has been observed that the adaptation of all the railway station buildings to the new functions in the examples referred to above took place several years after they had been closed down. The Author emphasises the need to determine the future use of old and often historic railway station buildings already at the stage of the investment planning.

The purpose of this article is to highlight the main challenges presented by the spatial transformation of countryside as a result of strong investment pressure in the metropolitan zones of selected Polish cities. The research focuses on the spatial structures of selected communes adjacent to Warsaw, Kraków and Lublin. The study deals with the problem of spatial transformations of the rural landscape. This was done on the background of socio-economic redevelopment and demographic changes. The results show a significant investment pressure and identify the stages and forms of spatial development characterising urbanisation in the studied suburban areas in recent years. The author's planning concept is proposed as an example of a tool for controlling excessive dispersal at local and regional levels.