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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Local Interactions and the Global City Metropolization in Warsaw

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A number of the world's large cities are taking on increasing economic importance in the international arenas because they concentrate high-order activities This metropolization process is a result of the changes occurring in the emerging post-industrial economy, i.e. the rise of services and information. It is based on the combination of proximity interactions and global interactions and it is characterized both by a specific internal spatial pattern and by a large outside area of influence. Since the transition period, services, and particularly high-order services, have grown more rapidly in Poland than in EU countries, as if a catching-up process has been underway. A large part of these services are located in downtown Warsaw, in the district of Srôdmiescie, as was shown in a previous paper by Bourdeau-Lepage. Combining several Polish data sources, mainly on the geography of employment by sectors, on the location of firms, and on the development of specialized high-order services, we propose to analyze in detail the concentration of metropolitan functions in Warsaw and to determine whether or not a process of metropolization is emerging in the city. Starting from the idea that the internal organization of high-order functions in a metropolis is closely connected to its international attractiveness, we compare the “ internal metropolization ” of Warsaw with its “ external metropolization ” i.e. its effective world position, evaluated essentially by its position in the transport networks and by its attractiveness in terms of investment and of cultural activities. The results indicate an effective internal metropolization and a narrowing gap between internal and external metropolization.