The opacity of the allotment gardens market in Warsaw, Poland

Wiejak-Roy, Grazyna

Abstract

Allotment gardens are a well-established phenomenon in Central and Eastern Europe. Their users, predominantly in towns, through the cultivation of land and care for the green space, create green oases in now busy urban areas. As such these locations are of growing relevance as they generate positive externalities such the effectively private management of public green space. Over the last few years, especially during and post the Covid lockdown, the popularity of allotment gardens has increased as an alternative to travel and a safe place to be in. In this research, we considered legal, political, social, environmental, and new design perspectives to create a basis for the understanding of the market for allotment gardens. Using Warsaw as the largest and most dynamic allotment garden market in Poland, we explored the trading market to conclude with a rich picture of market peculiarities including issues arising from the low market transparency. We expect that our observations will inform policymakers and local authorities in developing long-term strategies to effectively support urban green spaces.

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: FIG Commission 2 and 7 Annual Meeting - Digital Transformation for Responsible Land Administration
• Start Date: Oct 2, 2023
• End Date: Oct 4, 2023
• Deposit Date: Oct 22, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 24, 2023
• Keywords: Land management; Legislation; Property taxes; Real estate development; Valuation; allotment garden; family garden; Poland; Warsaw; grey market; opacity; transparency
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/11390382