The aim of the study was to determine the demographic types of all small cities in Poland in 2013 and to identify the standards of their spatial diversity. The following questions were posed: Which demographic types are dominant among the small cities of Poland? Is there a relation between a specific demographic type and the size of the city? Does the structure of small cities according to their demographic types relate to their distance from main roads and urban agglomerations? The study applied the Webb’s typology, the K. Doi leading element method, the departure from average indicator, and the nonparametric Chi squared test. The spatial regularities were identified based on the created maps. The results of the study show that small cities of Poland in 2013 were represented by all demographic types, but most of them were regressive. They were established in 80% of small cities. The main element determining the population trends of small cities was the negative migration balance, which was observed in 80% of the surveyed areas. It was also established that the population of small cities has a slight impact on population trends. The most important aspect of their development is the distance from agglomerations and main roads.

The aim of this paper is to determine the expectations of students from selected Polish academic centers toward facilities at agritourist farms, and identifying the socio-demographic characteristics that determined those expectations. A survey method was used in this research. Using the Likert’s five-level scale, respondents rated the significance of elements of agritourist farm facilities. It was found that academic youth expected, above all, facilities for enabling passive leisure and the independent preparation of meals. Provision of facilities for active leisure were of less significance to them. Gender, place of living, field of study and prior experience connected to leisure on the farms analyzed were not factors that differentiated students’ expectations. A weak correlation was found between students’ expectations of facilities at agritourist farms and their economic status. Students’ expectations were very similar to the expectations of the average agritourist. Research results confirmed some of the results known from the literature, stating that socio-demographic characteristics differentiated the expectations of academic youth to a small extent. However, the effects obtained did not correspond to results claiming that age, gender, place of living and income have a significant influence on tourist expectations. Additionally psychographic characteristics should be considered in the following research. A combination of demographic and psychographic characteristics may offer a wider base for analysis and give better end results, allowing market segmentation.

The purpose of this article is to evaluate the attractiveness of centrally located public spaces (main squares) in select new small towns in Poland. The evaluation was conducted from the spatial order perspective. Spatial order is composed of five elements: architectural and urban planning, functional, aesthetic, social, and “green” orders. The new small towns included in this analysis are settlement units, which in 2020 were populated by up to 20,000 inhabitants and received municipal rights in the 21st century. We used the point bonitation method in our research based on the source material collected during a field study. A total of 286 inventory cards of buildings and nine cards of town squares were compiled. The analysis demonstrated that the main squares in the towns studied are characterised by low or average levels of attractiveness from the spatial order perspective. The architectural–urban planning order in the towns in question was related to the number of inhabitants as well as the period over which a given settlement unit had municipal rights. A larger number of inhabitants had a positive influence on the functional diversification of the central squares and their development, whereas a small number limited both the functional diversification and the number of small architectural elements found at the square. The social order in the given towns was not connected to the number of inhabitants. The elements of social order were assessed favourably, both in larger towns that revitalised their central squares and in smaller settlements. The aesthetic and green orders were strongly related to the revitalisation of public space.

The objective of the paper is to present the development and distribution of microfirms in mid-size Polish towns during the years of transformation of the political system. Research comprised towns with a population numbering from 20 thousand to 100 thousand inhabitants. According to the Central Office of Statistics reporting standards it is recognized that micro enterprises are economic entities employing up to nine people. Research has shown that a dynamic growth of microfirms took place during the transformation period in mid-size Polish towns. Majority of them came into being in towns with high tourism values located near border crossing points, along the main communication routes, on the edge of great urban-industrial agglomerations and towns located within special economic zones. On the other hand, the least number of microfirms were recorded in towns with less than 50 thousand inhabitants, usually peripherally located in a given voivodship.