Does One Decade of Urban Policy for the Shrinking City Make Visible Progress in Urban Re-Urbanization? A Case Study of Bytom, Poland

Hypsometric changes in urban areas resulting from multiple years of mining activity

The impact of multiple years of underground mining of minerals on changes in the elevation of an urban area has been evaluated using the case study of Bytom in southern Poland. Between 1883 and 2011, that city experienced changes in absolute minimum (from 250.0 to 243.0 m a.s.l.) and maximum (from 340.0 to 348.4 m a.s.l.) elevations. During that period, the difference between minimum and maximum elevations increased from 90.0 to 105.4 m. The consequence of underground mining has been the formation of extensive subsidence basins with a maximum depth of 35 m. Where the terrain became raised, its elevation rose most commonly by 1.1 m to 5.0 m, with maximum increase in elevation caused by human activity amounting to 35 m. The rate of anthropogenic subsidence in the city between 1883 and 2011 averaged 43 mm/year (5.5 m over the study period).

Semi-Natural Areas on Post-Mining Brownfields as an Opportunity to Strengthen the Attractiveness of a Small Town. An Example of Radzionków in Southern Poland

The socio-economic and political changes of the end of the 20th century in Central and Eastern Europe had significant impacts on the transformation of urban spaces, especially in industrial and mining towns. The article attempts to explain the essence of these changes concerning the spatial development of—a small post-mining town in southern Poland. This article evaluates urban development policy in response to the significant land-use changes in the small post-mining city of Radzionków, with particular attention to the transformation of brownfield sites to semi-natural areas of regional importance. This issue is interesting for two reasons. First, this small city, located in a large European agglomeration, has to face competition focused on interesting regional projects. Second, there is a desire for reindustrialization as a remedy for job losses in mining and heavy industry. The successful establishment of a large botanical garden in this city provides a case study for discussing the future of small post-industrial cities and the development of land use policy regarding valuable natural areas located in post-industrial and post-mining areas. This study also indicates the vital role of the creative management factor.