Anita Kulawiak

The aim of the article is to present the concept of the “mutilated village” as a new analytical category for interpreting a specific type of rural settlement transformation. The concept refers to settlements that, as a result of sudden and most often exogenous impacts, have lost part of their morphological, functional, social or cultural integrity, while retaining settlement continuity. The term “mutilation” has a metaphorical character and denotes a socio-spatial condition of a settlement resulting from the deconstruction of its previous socio-spatial whole, rather than its complete disappearance. The article presents the theoretical foundations of the concept of the “mutilated village”, identifies its main dimensions – morphological, functional, social and cultural – and proposes a typology and a research model enabling the operationalisation of this category in empirical studies. The research procedure includes the identification of factors leading to the loss of settlement integrity, the analysis of the course of transformation, and the assessment of the village after “mutilation”, taking into account its adaptive potential, capacity for regeneration, and possible trajectories of further development.

This study aimed to examine the attitudes of residents in municipalities within the Bełchatów Industrial District towards changes in their living environment in the context of the planned closure of a mining and energy complex. The studied area is located in the central part of Poland, it is an industrial center with the dominant mining and energy industries, and the main core is an openpit lignite mine. The study was conducted in 2024 in six municipalities in the study area, involving a group of 220 respondents (representing over 3% of the total population of the study area) and utilising a questionnaire. It was found that the social attitudes of the inhabitants of the Bełchatów Industrial District towards industry and transformation are twofold. On the one hand, there is a growing awareness of the need to move away from coal due to both economic and environmental factors. On the other, there is a visible attitude of fear related to job losses, youth migration, and the marginalisation of the region. Quite often, both respondents and local authorities adopt a passive attitude towards the upcoming changes. The authors conclude that residents should be empowered and involved in the process of implementing changes, enabling them to have a meaningful impact on the actions of local authorities and the transformation of their community.

The main objective of this article is to present the actual image of the city of Lodz as perceived by its young residents and users (students in their final years at the University of Lodz and the Lodz University of Technology). The article utilizes a questionnaire-based interview, which primarily employed open-ended questions strictly related to the city’s image and the image of Lodz residents, the city’s spatial symbols, and its personification. The survey results reveal a vision of the city in which negative characteristics clearly dominate. Furthermore, the projection of the city’s characteristics onto those of its residents was also observed. In the respondents’ minds, the residents of a poor city are also perceived as poor and sad. The results obtained, though mostly pessimistic, constitute an important starting point for changing this situation. In the students’ assessments, the image of Lodz, while undoubtedly enduring, is dynamic and subject to negotiation, as the respondents recognize not only the city’s difficult, working-class history but also its contemporary, creative potential. The study contributes to interdisciplinary urban studies by showing how young city residents give meaning to space by combining its material form with an affective interpretation.

Sustainable development affects the quality of life of spatially diverse populations, and the pursuit of improved living conditions—both objective and subjective—is often associated with residential relocation. This article examines population movements from urban to rural areas outside agglomerations. Quantitative research was first conducted to assess population changes in rural areas in Poland between 2002 and 2024 and to determine the role of urban-to-rural migration in this process. The second stage consisted of qualitative research conducted among residents of selected Polish villages. The results indicate that the largest scale of migration from urban to rural areas outside agglomerations occurred in the western part of the country, particularly in the Dolnośląskie and Wielkopolskie Voivodeships, which are characterised by high levels of socio-economic development and good spatial accessibility. New residents—counterurbanists—primarily selected areas with high natural values. The decision to relocate to the countryside stemmed mainly from a desire for lifestyle change. In many cases, the opportunity to live in rural areas enabled newcomers to realise their aspirations of establishing their own businesses, which improved both their quality of life and that of the local community.

Problematyka artykułu dotyczy jednego z aspektów kontrurbanizacji. Celem opracowania jest zaprezentowanie profilu społeczno-kulturowego migrantów przenoszących się z miasta na wieś położoną peryferyjnie względem niego. Artykuł jest pokłosiem badań w ramach projektu NCN na temat: Miejsko-wiejski transfer wiedzy – modele współzależności, który realizowany jest na obszarze wybranych wsi w Polsce. Materiałem źródłowym wykorzystanym w artykule były wywiady kwestionariuszowe oraz swobodne. Przeprowadzono je na grupie dorosłych mieszkańców badanych wsi, którzy w okresie co najmniej ostatnich 5 lat przeprowadzili się na stałe z miasta na wieś. Badania dowiodły, że kontrurbanita jest osobną kategorią społeczno-kulturową, w dużej mierze różniącą się od osób, które wyprowadziły się na wieś blisko miasta. W świetle badań własnych, ale także studiów literaturowych można stwierdzić, że dla kontrurbanitów decyzja o przeniesieniu się na wieś jest nie tylko praktycznym rozwiązaniem, ale przede wszystkim wyborem ideologicznym, wynikającym z potrzeby zmiany stylu życia, wartości oraz sposobu funkcjonowania w społeczeństwie. Dla suburbanitów jest to natomiast decyzja podyktowana głównie chęcią posiadania własnego domu z ogródkiem za w miarę rozsądną cenę.

Interest in rural entrepreneurship among researchers has been systematically growing in recent years, which allows for noticing specific research trends. However, a comprehensive methodological approach to this topic is lacking, especially in the context of new definitions of rural entrepreneurship. This article focuses on the results of a systematic analysis of the literature on rural entrepreneurship aimed at distinguishing emerging research trends. The authors base their conclusions on research of articles from the international databasesof Scopus and Web of Science journals. The paper also proposes an original model of rural entrepreneurship, based on the relationship between a rural entrepreneur and the place of activity, concerning new ways of defining this type of entrepreneurship. This model may help understand the mechanisms of rural entrepreneurshipand the factors determining its development and may constitute a conceptual framework for further empirical research. Moreover, the conclusions from the study have application values, as they can be helpful for decision-makers in formulating local policy assumptions and strategic development plans, especially forrural areas.

Artykuł przedstawia kompleksowe spojrzenie na przedsiębiorczość wiejską. Jest on propozycją szerszej niż dotychczas interpretacji tego zagadnienia, które uwzględnia wiele różnych podejść i koncepcji badawczych nauk społecznych. Celem artykułu jest z jednej strony zwrócenie uwagi na problemy teoretyczne związane z badaniem przedsiębiorczości wiejskiej, w szczególności sposobu rozumienia tego terminu i zmian, jakie w tej kwestii się dokonały, z drugiej – zaprezentowanie nowego sposobu badania i analizy tego zagadnienia przez pryzmat koncepcji społecznych. Praca stanowi efekt dyskusji i przemyśleń autorów dotyczących spojrzenia na to zagadnienie, szczególnie na gruncie geografii społeczno-ekonomicznej, oraz kwerendy literatury krajowej i zagranicznej, głównie angielskojęzycznej. Przedstawione w niej podejście do badania przedsiębiorczości wiejskiej wynika z postrzegania jej w kontekście silnych związków z otoczeniem lokalnym (środowiskiem wiejskim).

Rural entrepreneurship has become a prevalent research topic in Polish and foreign literature in recent years. However, there is a noticeable lack of conceptual and methodological approaches, especially concerning the new way of understanding the term rural entrepreneurship, with an overrepresentation of positivist approaches. Therefore, the article focuses on presenting research results related to the literature analysis on rural entrepreneurship, particularly in terms of its contemporary understanding and research methods. The article is theoretical and methodological and was based on a literature search on the subject taken from databases, i.e. Scopus and Web of Science. The analysis made it clear that since the mid-2000s, there has been a significant increase in interest in the issue of rural entrepreneurship. However, it is interpreted differently in Poland and abroad. Consequently, the research in this field shows significant differences. In the face of the paradigm shift and the turn in understanding rural entrepreneurship that has taken place in the world literature, the article proposes an original model of rural entrepreneurship based on the relationship between a rural entrepreneur and the place. Although it still requires empirical verification, it can be a beneficial research pattern, useful not only for understanding the mechanism of functioning of rural entrepreneurship but also for determining the factors that govern its development in the context of the relationship between a rural entrepreneur and the place. The conclusions from the work also have application value because the proposed model can be helpful for decision‑ makers (mainly local government authorities, especially of rural communes) in formulating planning and strategic documents.