This paper is based on the results of an extensive (840-page) report of the Committee on National Spatial Development of the Polish Academy of Sciences, entitled Studies on Spatial Chaos (edited by A. Kowalewski, T, Markowski and P. Śleszyński—Studia KPZK PAN, vol. 182, Warsaw 2018—in Polish). Its aim was to conduct a comprehensive and detailed study on the problem of spatial chaos (spatial disorder), including an estimate of economic costs in Poland. For this purpose, literature was queried (articles and reports, etc.) and special analyses were prepared for this purpose. The total annual costs of spatial chaos were estimated at not less than 20 billion euros per year. The conclusions also proposed solutions and suggestions (for the government and local governments), which may reduce the acute costs of spatial chaos in society and economy.

Although conservation and development are two facets of sustainability, they are often placed in contradictory positions. In this context, planning systems are able to respond to investment pressure, especially in countries with underdeveloped institutional solutions for this purpose, and are consequently characterized by a shifting relationship between spatial planning and environmental protection. Although these issues have been relatively well conceptualized, the literature still lacks more in-depth analyses of selected case studies. In order to fill the gap, this study aimed to identify potential ways to protect the environment and natural values in urban areas from investment pressures in countries with less developed planning systems, based on a comparative Polish-Romanian perspective. The method consisted of comparing the national legal frameworks for environmental protection and spatial development and analyzing in detail two case studies from each country. The findings indicate that national protection is required in both countries to ensure the effective protection of natural areas situated within city administrative limits that provide important ecosystem services. Moreover, the results reveal the need for more research on similar areas using multi-scale interdisciplinary approaches and reviewing planning theory with respect to its efficiency in protecting nature.

This article analyses (based on multidimensional criteria) land-use plans at a local level (using selected cities as examples) and their relationships to crucial planning issues identified at both national and local levels. The planning approaches of cities from the following countries were compared: Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, China, Ghana, Iran, Mexico, Mongolia, Portugal and Poland. These countries are diverse in terms of their legal, political, cultural and geographical perspectives. Across these diverse countries, comparisons were made of local spatial plans (as enacted in specific cities), with regard to their legal features. From this, directions for a possible universal debate of local-level spatial plans as currently emerging is proposed. Based on the comparison undertaken, it is possible that the spatial plans studied designate zones of land use and detailed principles (including parameters) of development for cities. In some countries, attempts have also been made for the plans to solve spatial problems more broadly, for example by linking strategic planning objectives with the spatial development sphere. This article was published open access under a CC BY licence: https://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/

The aim of this study was to identify how the literature analyzes (identifies, evaluates, forecasts, etc.) the relationship between health issues and urban policy in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. Four main levels were identified in these cases: (1) direct demands for changes in health care, (2) social issues, (3) spatial organization and (4) redefining the tasks of public authority in the face of identified challenges. The basic working method used in the study assumed a critical analysis of the literature on the subject. The time scope of the search covered articles from January 2020 to the end of August 2021 (thus covering the period of three pandemic waves). Combinations of keywords in the titles were used to search for articles. The health perspective pointed to the need for urban policies to develop a balance between health and economic costs and for coordination between different professionals/areas. A prerequisite for such a balance in cities is the carrying out of social and spatial analyses. These should illustrate the diversity of the social situations in individual cities (and more broadly in urban areas, including, sometimes, large suburbs) and the diversity’s relationship (both in terms of causes and consequences) to the severity of pandemics and other health threats.

Artykuł z zasobów e-mentora: University Social Responsibility Strategies. E-mentor - internetowe czasopismo poświęcone nastepującym zagadnienion:e-learning, czasopismo, sgh, szkoła główna handlowa, internetowe czasopismo, e-mentor, nauczanie przez internet, kształcenie ustawiczne, metody kształcenia, formy kształcenia.