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The suburbanization of cities began in many countries after World War II and was caused, among other things, by the growing popularity of the motor car, the development of transport networks, and the growth in human populations. In post-socialist countries, this process started later (mainly after the collapse of socialism). Suburbanization was often an uncontrolled phenomenon (due for instance to an ineffective urban spatial policy), which contributed to urban sprawl, and in which developers played a significant role. The growing costs of city maintenance have prompted local authorities to undertake planned activities for re-urbanization. The increase in development activities in recent years encourages reflection on their importance in these processes. This article aims to outline the role of developers, responsible for the new construction and the reconstruction of existing facilities, in the process of city re-urbanization, using the city of Łódź, Poland, as a case study. It is an example of a post-industrial city in which, the process of suburbanization, combined with the phenomenon of urban sprawl, proceeded rapidly after 1989. The phenomenon of depopulation has also been observed in Łódź for several years. Therefore, re-urbanization may be an antidote to some of Łódź’s population and spatial problems. The methods of desk research and a case study were used to achieve the aim.

State intervention in the housing market can take many different forms. In Poland, in 2018, a lex specialis regulation was introduced to the general principles of spatial policy in terms of special privileges for developers operating in the housing market. As the entity responsible for local spatial policy, the municipality has been deprived of its decision-making power by granting developers who build residential buildings the right to act against local planning rules. The article aims to determine the preparation of the largest Polish cities to negotiate with developers through the adoption of local urban standards, the scale of use of lex developer solutions in these cities, and the analysis of the level of non-compliance in privileged investments with local planning rules. The study used desk research methods (critical literature analysis, source materials - texts of legal acts and statistical data), case studies, and comparative analysis. The conducted research allows for answering the research question posed in work: the level of completion of lex specialis purposes indicated by the legislator.

Development activity in Poland is regulated by many legal provisions, but one of the most important acts for the implementation of developers’ projects is the Act of March 27, 2003 on spatial planning and development. The Act includes, among others, procedures for the preparation and scope of local spatial development plans. One of the parameters significant from the point of view of housing development which these plans define is the minimum and maximum intensity of development and the percentage of biologically active space that should be preserved on a property covered by the investment project. The article adopts two research goals. Firstly, it is an attempt to verify, using examples of selected developers, whether they, as profit-oriented entities, decide to develop the property as much as possible or to keep more undeveloped space, which is a more desirable phenomenon from the environmental point of view. Secondly, an attempt will be made to determine how developers in Poland create a biologically active surface in their projects. Based on desk research, it was found that, among the discussed cases, there is no evident tendency to maximize the permissible built-up areas and the created biologically active areas are sparse and not diversified.

Research background: An assessment of the dynamics of the development of the housing market is critical for development activity and the institutions that finance it. Due to the capital intensity of development projects, it seems necessary to perform detailed analyses to be sure that the investment will find buyers and to know how much time it will take for this undertaking to be sold. The absorption rate reports it.

The importance of local plans for developers and negative consequences of issuing a large number of decisions on building conditions are usually discussed in literature, with the role of the study of conditions and directions of the spatial development of the commune somewhat diminished in this respect. The question therefore arises whether the study itself is important for the growth of developers’ activity and, if so, whether its provisions are adhered to.

Development activity is primarily characterized by high capital intensity. Developers implementing a venture in the residential market make use of not only their own funds but also capital from potential buyers. Therefore, developers should carefully analyze the markets in which they intend to conduct their business activity. This particularly applies to developers operating on an international scale. Local developers often understand the market situation in a given area enough to be able to successfully assess whether their products will find buyers. Foreign developers, however, deciding in which country and subsequently, in which region, to start their business activity, should base their analysis on reliable statistical data concerning demand, supply, prices, and the absorption rate. The aim of the article is therefore to assess the availability of statistical data necessary for conducting a market analysis for the needs of development activity in individual countries of the European Union and the United Kingdom.

Development activity, understood as an economic activity consisting of transforming a property so as to induce an increase in value, has been expanding in Poland since the early nineties of the twentieth century. However, in this country, it is an activity associated mainly with the profit which a developer can make from the sale or rental of the transformed property. In the West, however, non-profit development activity, providing mainly housing for rent for people with limited financial resources, has become increasingly popular. Under the current institutional conditions, the growth of this type of activity in Poland seems impossible. In this situation, Social Housing Associations could play a similar role, subject to the extension of the scope of their activities and funding opportunities. Therefore, it is reasonable to put forward the thesis that, in order to make the growth of social housing in Poland more dynamic, it is necessary to expand for the range of SHA activities as well as to initiate non - profit development activity based on the model of Western countries. The aim of the paper is to demonstrate the legitimacy of the presented thesis by analyzing the available literature, statistical data and case studies.

Development activity in Poland began to increase in the 1990's as a result of market-oriented reforms, with the process continuing to this day. The beginnings were, however, not easy due to, among others, the absence of many important legal regulations and the lack of commercial financing. The situation changed in the second half of the 1990's, positively affecting residential development activity. The years 2008 - 2009 were particularly relevant in the course of the studied trend as a sharp increase in the number of completed developer-built residential dwelling units was recorded at this time. After this period, a decline in the number of dwelling units completed by developers was recorded, which indicates its strong dependence on changes in the economic environment. Fluctuations in the number of dwelling units completed by developers were also visible before Poland's accession to the European Union. This means that the diversity of development activity is influenced by many factors.

Residential development in Poland has gone through many changes over the last few decades. In the 1990s, housing cooperatives played a major role among investors in the residential market, whereas developers were only taking their first steps. Today the situation has reversed. In addition to private persons building homes for their own use, developers contribute the most to the supply of new housing. There are many factors that have led to this situation. It is noteworthy that many laws governing the real estate market, the construction market, the development of entrepreneurship, etc. have been either enacted or frequently amended over the last two decades, which may have significantly affected developers’ activities.

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Copyright of Studies in Law & Economics / Studia Prawno-Ekonomiczne is the property of Lodz Scientific Society / Lodzkie Towarzystwo Naukowe and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

"Zombie developments", i.e. the problem of unfinished development projects, is an unrecognised phenomenon in Poland. In the USA, research on the causes, consequences and actions aimed to reduce the nuisance has been conducted for years. Therefore, the aim of this article is to show, through case studies, that the problem of "zombie developments" also occurs in Poland, causing many negative consequences for various entities. At the same time, this study is intended to help identify the causes of this phenomenon in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]