VALORIZATION AND SPATIAL TYPOLOGY OF LODZ'S RESIDENTIAL RESOURCES DURING THE TRANSFORMATION PERIOD

Abstract

A specific spatial structure of Łódź’s residential resources was distinguished in Łódź in the age of political transformation. Different features of these resources (336,1 thousand apartments in 2008) create different spatial patterns, which are usually highly variable. A synthetic approach is justified in this case, as this issue was not frequently subject to independent study. The object of this study is valorization and spatial typology of Łódź’s residential resources in conditions typical for the transformation period. The multivariable analysis of these resources involves distribution and intensity of residential development, its dynamics (in years 1988−2002), its age, types of ownership, as well as size of buildings and apartments, technical facilities in the apartments and population density in the apartments. Specific features of residential resources were investigated according to data from 2002 national census. The city was divided into 61 housing estate units. During the valorization of residential resources, a synthetic variable, being the function of 13 diagnostic features which are the stimulants of residential standard, was used. In order to elaborate the spatial typology of residential resources, the K-mean method was used, as one of the most effective iterative optimization methods used in numerical taxonomy. There were 19 typological features distinguished.