The book focuses on the issue of nature protection in urban areas. The subject matter of the research was the formal and legal conditions of protected areas in cities. The analysis regarded Polish and global solutions in the scope of the nature protection categories in urban areas, objectives of creating urban protected areas and instruments for fulfi lling the aims of protection in the spatial aspect. The research on globally applied solutions in the scope of nature protection was based on the analysis of source literature and legal acts on nature conservation in cities situated in various countries. As a result, four major types of urban protected areas were distinguished in 80 different cities. The research enabled formulating major characteristics of urban protected areas. Those were, in particular: the integrated approach to the protection of natural and cultural resources and equal treatment of the natural and social objectives of protection. This was the basis for a critical analysis of domestic solutions in the subject matter. The research on formal and legal conditions for the functioning of protected areas in Polish cities was conducted in the administrative borders of voivodeship capitals. The research included 18 cities in total. The analysis concerned basic documents related to the widely understood management of protected areas, including, in particular: legal acts establishing individual protected areas and protected areas management plans, as well as the studies of conditions and directions for the spatial development of communes and local spatial development plans. The research work regarded spatial forms of nature protection, including: national parks, natural reserves, regional parks, protected landscape areas, Natura 2000 areas, ecological sites, documentation sites and nature-landscape complexes. The research included 229 protected areas in total. For the abovementioned protected areas, the following aspects were analyzed: subject matter and objectives of their protection, premises for creating their functional and spatial infrastructure and methods for their development, as well as the scope of provisions in urban spatial planning documents in the abovementioned respect. The research enabled identifying the key problems in the functioning of protected areas in Polish cities, including:

• small stability of regulations on nature protection and consequential lack of continuity in the protection of naturally valuable areas,

• noticeable tendency to loosen the regulations in the subjected scope, which leads to marginalizing the issues of nature protection while planning urban development.

• no coordination of actions performed by various stakeholders in regard to the protected areas,

• failure to adjust nature protection objectives to conditions resulting from the location in urban areas,

• lack of efficient tools to fulfi ll the nature protection objectives in the spatial aspect.

Based on the identifi ed models of environmental protection in urban areas, premises were formulated with regard to the new model for environmental protection in Polish cities. Three scenarios were proposed with regard to potential changes: modification-oriented, reorganization-oriented and radical. The modification-oriented scenario includes:

• adding the social aspect to the objectives of nature protection in cities,

• extending the scope of the nature conservation act of new nature protection categories appropriate for urban areas,

• increasing the importance of the study of conditions and directions for the spatial development and protection plans with regard to the planning permission.

Reorganization-oriented scenario provides for:

• verifying the objectives of nature protection,

• introducing the obligation to prepare management plans for all protected areas in cities,

• introducing the obligation to update and prepare development plans for areas were nature conservation areas were established.

The radical scenario includes:

• introducing new categories of nature protection in urban areas, including categories that ensure preserving and shaping the connectivity of protected area,

• exposing ecosystem services as the major motif of nature protection in cities,

• introducing new instruments for managing protected areas in cities.

Applying one of the abovementioned scenarios may signifi cantly improve the efficiency of natural protection in cities. It may also contribute to introducing a more innovative model for urban nature protection. Each scenarios will entail the implementation of quite significant legislative changes, either in the scope of nature protection and spatial planning.

The article presents the problem of the settlements development in the Ojców National Park (ONP) and its buffer zone, both located in the suburban area of Cracow (Poland). The aim of the research was to recognize the social perception of this phenomenon, as well as the residents opinion about the limitations in spatial management related to the functioning of the Park. Interviews were made among 204 residents, and 40 representatives of local self-governments, cultural institutions, associations, administrators of tourist facilities and entrepreneurs. The local community perceives constraints in the new buildings construction and in enlargement or modernization of the existing ones as the main problem for people living in the ONP or its buffer zone. Driven by their particular interests, residents advocate the further development of the settlements and tourist infrastructure within the Park and the buffer zone, the liberalization of regulations, and even the liquidation of the Park’s buffer zone. They do not understand that the natural and landscape values (highly appreciated by them) can be degraded due to these activities.

For more than ten years a dynamic and intensive development has been observed in spatial information technology combining elements of geoinformatics with data from various sources in order to create elaborate, often interdisciplinary and multifunctional compilations.

The progressing implementation of IT solutions with reference to resources and related trends to make public infor-mation that is useful to a wide group of recipients are reflected in multimedia information materials of many public institutions and private businesses. An example of using electronic technologies in the presentation of spatial data of national parks is widely available geoportals, interactive maps and other cartographic or paracartographic visualizations offering various tools allowing the utilisation of spatial information resources.

This publication aims at a multilevel analysis of the availability of network services, as defined in Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 March 2007 establishing an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community,to all the existing geoportals of Polish national parks and a review of additional functions offered by the map services of all 23 Polish national parks that may be useful to users. As a result of research, tables and descriptions comparing the functions of the analysed geoportals were compiled and additional practical tools observed in other services were described. In addition, based on the comparisons, a concept of geoportal optimization was developed taking into account all categories of spatial information services and optional functions.

European cities face urban, demographic and climate challenges. According to forecasts, annual extreme phenomena will intensify – including torrential rains. Comprehensive solutions (also those based on nature), climate adaptation strategies, runoff management, incorporation of new design (e.g. sponge cities) are urgently required in order to strengthen urban resilience and to minimise the effects of extreme weather events (droughts, floods or heat islands).
The aim of the research was to develop a methodology for activating selected elements of blue-green infrastructure within areas of natural and cultural protection as an adaptive tool of urban planning. Modelling of infiltration possibilities, programmed with SCALGO Live Poland software, was performed as a case study based on a research city – Sandomierz (in Poland). Selected parameters (stormwater surface runoff, chosen runoff areas, land cover) are strongly correlated with urban indicators relating to the vegetation coverage (biologically active area – BAA).
Results pointed out urban units, which BAA is lower than 25% (e.g. Old Town Square, courtyards of tenement houses). Modelling was carried out for these units by concentrating on the undeveloped area for which the BAA was increased. The enhancement assumed values in the range of 41–45%. In analysed cases, an improvement (decrease) in runoff volume was obtained, even by 8.69%. Simultaneously, infiltration increased by 19.61%, calculated over entire runoff area. Implementation of solutions based on these results, in the form of appropriate planning provisions, can raise the quality of environment (e.g. improving water infiltration) and life (e.g. more effective air cooling on hot nights).