Urban villages in the structure of a post-industrial agglomeration

The study identified morphological and functional changes over almost 200 years in urban villages. Historical and contemporary cartographic material made this study possible. The comparative analysis is mainly concerned with the spatial features of the centres of former villages, how their appearance differs from the background of urban centres of the highly urbanised Katowice conurbation in Poland and the dominant functions performed by these areas in the past and today. Data in 2024 from online auction websites were also used, based on an inventory of real estate sales offers in the urban villages under study. We compared the average prices for one square metre of real estate in urban villages with prices for entire cities. It also shows how prices are shaped in historic buildings. The study aimed to present the relics of old villages as willingly inhabited areas in the structure of a post-industrial agglomeration. Despite intensive urbanisation processes, such areas have retained features typical of rural centres. Significantly, this contrasts with highly urbanised areas such as the city centres of the Katowice conurbation. Urban villages are not marginalised, as real estate prices do not differ significantly from the average real estate values in the cities of the Katowice conurbation. The juxtaposition of the results with the demand trends in the real estate market allowed us to conclude that the population willingly lives in the analysed areas. The study proves the attractiveness of urban villages that stand out in terms of morphology and functionality compared to large cities.