CITIZENS’ NEEDS AS A MEASURE OF HUMAŃ DEYELOPMENT OF A CITY. EXAMPLE OF WROCŁAW, POLAND IN THE YEARS 1997-2007

Łukasz DAMURSKI

Abstract

The last 20 years of system transition in Poland witnessed a rapid human development of the country. The most important poles of the development were, of course, big cities, being the leaders of political, economic and cultural change. The civilisation development of urban areas may be observed in many dimensions, such as GDP per capita, access to knowledge or new technologies implemented in
the urban space. However, it may also be measured by changing citizens’ needs. The example of Wrocław shows that in the years 1997-2007 the hierarchy of the citizens’ expectations has changed significantly: the rank of the improvement of communication system has risen and the rank of the renovation of old buildings has dropped. These changes of opinion reflect the real situation ofthe city, because on one hand Wrocław becomes morę and morę attractive place to visit and on the other it experiences bigger and bigger transport difficulties. The similarity of citizens’ needs and the virtual problems of the city suggests that opinion about the city may be a useful measure of the human development of an urban area. It also remids that permanently unsatisfied needs of citizens may become an important obstacle in the civilisation development on a local level.