Protection of the Public Interest in the Spatial Planning Law of Poland and Slovakia – Threats and Prospects

The article has a scientific-research character, and its main objective is an attempt to determine the conditions of public interest protection in the Polish and Slovak spatial planning systems. The accomplishment of this task foremost required the presentation of dilemmas related to capturing the essence of public interest, not only from the legal perspective, but also from the perspective of planning theory. It was the starting point for determining to what extent the legal regulations in force in Poland and Slovakia that normalise the sphere of spatial shaping influence the level of protection of public interest in this field. The need to address the title issue is determined predominantly by the awareness that the shaping of space is an extremely conflictual sphere, called an arena of struggle between people with different needs, goals and interests. The assumptions associated with the article were realised as follows. First, the concept of public interest, related approaches and its status in the spatial planning system were analysed. Next, the spatial planning systems in Poland and Slovakia were characterised. In both cases, key levels related to the existence of public interest and possible problems and challenges were diagnosed. The article concludes with remarks on the position of public interest in the spatial planning systems of both countries.