Brownfields are remnants of the functional and spatial transformations of urban areas in Poland. They are particularly abundant in old industrial districts, based on coal mining and metallurgy. The aim of this study is to identify the transformation directions and functional changes of brownfields in the former Upper Silesian Industrial Region in southern Poland, which has evolved into the Górnośląsko-Zagłębiowska Metropolis (GZM) through the process of socio-economic transformation. The study makes use of the χ2 test of independence and Cramer’s V as a post-test, and the method of in-depth interviews. The results indicate that the most popular new functions of post-industrial sites are production and services. When we consider large brownfields such as, in particular, disused mine dumps, dumping sites, settling ponds and workings, the most popular new form of land use is green spaces. Moreover, the study shows that the size of brownfields impacts their new forms of land use.

An introductory text discusses the Just Transition Fund’s core assumptions and origin, in the process revealing stages to the evolution of the approach taken – in the direction of ‘green economy’ assumptions. Activities financed within the framework of the Fund are identified, in respect of the restructuring of Poland’s mining regions. Examples of fields of intervention are then discussed by reference to the Terytorialny Plan Sprawiedliwej Transformacji Województwa Śląskiego 2030, i.e. the 2030 Territorial Plan for the Just Transition of Poland’s Śląskie Voivodeship, in Silesia. A particularly important aspect here is the timetable for closures of mines and conventional power plants. The material also presents selected data on the significance of mining and the extractive industries in both their social and economic dimensions. Particular attention is here paid to the labour-market consequences of the Just Transition. The references are to levels of pay in the sector referred to, as well as the wealth characterising the relevant Polish gminas (areas of local-governmental administration) – as an alternative way of looking at the entire process. The article also points to a large number of research aspects linking up with transitioning in the economy and requiring further study and analysis. Overall, the work points to the challenges that regions subject to restructuring are going to be faced with.

The Silesian Metropolis (GZM—Górnośląsko-Zagłębiowska Metropolis) is the most urbanized area in Poland. It is a conurbation consisting of cities developed from medieval and modern settlements under the influence of intensive industrialization which started here in the second part of the 18th century. Traditional industries such as mining and metallurgy developed here for over 200 years until the 1990s. Since then, the importance of heavy industries in this region has decreased significantly. Along with the closure of industrial plants, brownfields with specific buildings and other infrastructure are appearing in urban space, constituting a kind of problematic post-industrial heritage. The aim of the paper is to show different approaches to the post-industrial heritage during urban regeneration of brownfields in GZM Metropolis. There are many examples of successful adaptation of post-industrial buildings and sites to new purposes which is the way of preserving the heritage. There are also many examples of forgotten or neglected post-industrial objects still waiting for its second life. Finally, there are plenty of brownfields simply cleared of infrastructure, with no signs of commemorating the past. What factors determine the fact that similar objects meet a different fate? What are the directions of adaptation of post-industrial sites? What is the role of intangible post-industrial heritage? These are questions that the paper will also try to answer.

Artykuł dotyczy historii kształtowania się współczesnej struktury morfologiczno-przestrzennej miasta Rovaniemi (Laponia, Finlandia). W wyniku przeprowadzonej analizy porównawczej chronologicznie zestawionych planów miasta metodą M.R.G. Conzena, uzupełnionej o kwerendę literatury dotyczącej historii miasta i badania terenowe, w dziejach Rovaniemi wydzielono sześć etapów rozwoju morfologiczno-przestrzennego. Wyodrębniono także szereg czynników, które wywierały wpływ na przestrzeń miasta w poszczególnych okresach jego rozwoju.