Łódź: Still A Promised Land?

Abstract

This article discusses contemporary problems of Łódź connected with the socio-economic changes following the fall of communism in 1989, and identifies opportunities and directions for its future development.
The analysis covers only the most recent period in the development of the city after 1989. The aim is to answer the question of whether Łódź, after the political and economic transformation, can still be regarded as a ‘Promised Land’, as it was known in the 19th and early 20th centuries – the time of its dynamic growth.
The last three decades in its development can be divided into three stages:
– 1989–1996: decline of industry and very high unemployment;
– 1997–2004: a time when Łódź voivodeship regained its former boundaries and from being the smallest in 1975–1999 to becoming one of the largest in Poland; the establishment of the Special Economic Zone, which over time is considered to be the best nationally;
– since 2004: Poland’s accession to the EU and new growth opportunities for the city on the basis of EU funds.
The problems that Łódź is currently struggling with include, above all, the decrease in population size and its ageing. The present pandemic, too, gives rise to problems connected with an economic slowdown and a decreased demand for office space.
The strengths of the city include its growing role as a transport hub, proximity to the capital, a large supply of highly qualified labour, lower earnings and a lower cost of living, cheaper office space and land, having the best special economic zone in Poland, and a growing tourist attractiveness.