Spatial planning based on environmental justice is a key activity in the process of the provision of equal rights to live in a safe environment and possess the opportunities of using it. Irrational development of land containing historical earth surface contamination constitutes a severe threat to the health safety of residents, and it may consequently lead to slow violence. This paper’s objective is to identify districts of Warsaw where the phenomena of environmental injustice and slow violence in post-industrial areas occur and fill in the indicated knowledge gap in such issues in Poland. The aim is also to answer the question as to whether contamination of the pedosphere and changes in land use in brownfields have a considerable effect on differences related to the health safety of residents of particular districts of Warsaw. The results of analyses of correlations of soil environment risk, health safety of residents, social, and planning conditions show that, in districts with a large share of areas included in the register of historical earth surface contamination, higher-than-average soil environment risk occurs, and it is related to the transformation of brownfields. Wola is a district affected by the phenomenon of slow violence and environmental injustice. According to the research, Wola is an area of accumulation of the highest levels of soil contamination, as well as some of the least favorable indices of health safety of residents and social conditions (in the case of both, Wola takes the second position). It is also a place of dynamic, unplanned transformations of brownfields, resulting in the “discovery” of historical earth surface contamination at the stage of the investment process. As evidenced based on the example of Wola, lack of spatial planning in contaminated areas leads to the exposure of their residents to a higher soil environment risk that may result in reduced health safety and the occurrence of slow violence. Therefore, rational planning of development of land containing historical earth surface contamination, with consideration of the aspects of health safety of residents, is an instrument of provision of environmental justice in terms of access to healthy life and residential environment.

Some of the most important contemporary threats to the population are global emergencies, such as pandemics, refugee waves, and climate disasters. Urban areas with high-density housing and limited access to services have been primarily affected. There is often a lack of time, resources, and space to develop primary services available near places of residence. In the face of progressing urbanisation and the expanding pandemic, it is necessary to rationally manage urban space, ensuring the use of unused, post-industrial areas, on the one hand, and minimise the negative effects of crises—the spread of a virus, the occurrence of an urban heat island, or the relocation of refugees. One beneficial solution in cities is effectively managing empty, undeveloped urban areas to develop cities in a way that is future-proof from new emergencies. In this study, we aimed to search for optimal solutions which can help to alleviate the negative effects of emergencies in the city using the decision-making model of field reserve management. Two districts of Warsaw, the capital city of Poland, were chosen for this study: one was typically urbanised, namely, Mokotów, and the other had large undeveloped areas for construction, namely, Białołęka. We analysed the land reserves of these districts. Spatial analyses of the data made it possible to identify optimal locations that constituted land reserves that can be used for essential services. Based on the analysis results, planners can effectively create a set of recommendations for local governments. Thanks to these recommendations, municipalities can manage their land reserves and eventually adapt them for the abovementioned purposes. As a result, it is expected that the effective management of land reserves using publicly available spatial data will improve preventive actions in an emergency, such as a pandemic. In addition, the proposed design solutions are universal; since they are based on the data on available field reserves and their statuses, management in emergencies will be possible.

Land management in crises requires quick solutions, which, without proper knowledge and experience, can lead to harmful interventions in established cities. In this regard, when choosing areas for placing critical infrastructure, such as temporary residences for refugees or field hospitals, it is essential to take into account not only the existing experience of scientists and experts on the topic but also the opinions of those who are intended to benefit from these services and of the people who live nearby. The purpose of this study was to identify the needs and opinions regarding the placement of critical infrastructure and facilities for those forcibly displaced as a result of the war in Ukraine (based on the example of Lviv, Ukraine) and the effects on the residents of Warsaw (Poland) as a city that faced a powerful wave of migrants from Ukraine. In the summer of 2022, a survey of 81 internally displaced persons who lived in two modular towns in Lviv was conducted. During 2022–2023, the residents of Warsaw were surveyed concerning the essential criteria for emergency site locations and their attitudes toward refugees from Ukraine. The results of our research showed that for internally displaced persons in temporary shelters in Lviv, it was vital to provide for their basic needs, along with a sense of security, and to encourage the unity of the people living nearby. A significant result of the survey indicated the necessary yet undesirable infrastructure facilities within a radius of up to 1 km around residents’ homes. It was determined that the most important objects, which should be placed within the limits of pedestrian accessibility, were bomb shelters, medical institutions, centers for administrative services, and others. In return, the most undesirable infrastructure facilities were military facilities, burial sites, and memorial complexes, etc. The results of the Warsaw survey were related to the criteria for choosing sites for the placement of significant critical infrastructure facilities and also demonstrated the positive attitude of the citizens toward the immigrants from Ukraine and their readiness to help if needed. The results could serve as a solid basis for the selection of plots for constructing temporary accommodation for refugees and internally displaced persons in European cities during crisis events.