Abstract

In this article urban users’ perception of problems in the development of Lódz is analyzed. It concerns 160 essays prepared by young people who move around the city regularly. The opinions were supplemented by the author with objective data. The paper examines the range of problems and reasons for their appearance, spatial pattern and ownership of estates affected by improprieties, and presents solutions suggested in this field. People participating in the research heavily criticized negligence and devastation of the urban tissue in the central part of the city, as well as disruptions of spatial order in its visual dimension. According to subjective opinions, the main actors responsible for those problems are private investors and the authorities who carry out investment projects, pass law and execute it. Among crucial actions suggested for solving problems in the built environment there are infrastructural investments as well as optimization of local law and administrative procedures.