Beyond ‘logistics sprawl’ and ‘logistics anti-sprawl’. Case of the Katowice region, Poland

ABSTRACT

The growing role of logistics in the economic space of large metropolises is visible in an increasing number of objects of this kind as well as in their high spatial concentration. Taking into account these circumstances, a phenomenon known as ‘logistics sprawl’ is considered in the article. This is one of two problems concerning the development of logistics in metropolitan areas. Studying the Katowice conurbation in Poland, the authors note, however, that in this region the opposite phenomenon, which they define as a ‘logistics anti-sprawl’, is more noticable. Its characteristic feature is a location of logistics facilities not in the outer zone of the conurbation, but in its core. This phenomenon undoubtedly differs from the patterns of localization of logistics facilities in all major CEECs. It is caused by some chief factors which are disscused in the paper. Therefore, an attention is drawn on the period of socialist development of the region, its contemporary postindustrialism, urban shrinkage, as well as the polycentricity of the conurbation. The crucial question whether the expected reduction of the ‘sprawl logistics’ phenomenon may be based on the development model observed in the Katowice conurbation is also discussed in the article.

KEYWORDS:

• Sprawl in logistics
• urban polycentricity
• logistics facility location
• the Katowice conurbation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Robert Krzysztofik http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1433-0866

Iwona Kantor-Pietraga http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2067-5438

Tomasz Spórna http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1099-7196

Weronika Dragan http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1531-2464

Valentin Mihaylov http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5888-6583

Notes

1 Polycentricity in the Katowice conurbation raises many other economic, planning, demographic or political and financial problems, which are not mentioned in the article on account of the subject constraints.