IMPROVING ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DOWNTOWN AREA AS A DIRECTION FOR THE SPATIAL POLICY OF OPOLE

Abstract

The city centre is a most valuable, historically formed area of living and commercial space. However, urbanistic policies of cities do not pay enough attention to maintaining or creating appropriate living conditions for the inhabitants of city centres, while still protecting and taking into account the aesthetic and design-related assets. A chaotic management of historic city centres and the lack of appropriate spatial regulations lead to frequent conflicts and eventual withdrawal of inhabitants from the area. This article aims to identify problems specific to city centres and to show that improving the living conditions thereof is possible, which will definitely lead to city centres keeping their housing function and encourageresidents to settle within.