The role of the manufacturing industry in shaping the economic base and functions of urban settlements in Łódzkie Voivodeship (Poland)

This research deals with the presence and potential of the manufacturing industry in the urban settlements of Łódzkie Voivodeship. Its cognitive goal is to recognise the present share of industry in the economic and functional base of those settlements that, as a result of the system transformation, underwent restructuring and deindustrialisation, and the shrinking of its economic base. The re-development of this base and functions, appropriate to the role of towns and cities in the settlement system, requires new paths and indicating them is the application objective of the research. The work is based on the theory of the economic base of settlements, using statistical and cartographic methods including ‘heat maps’ as well as ‘employment surplus’ and the Amemiya indicator. Studies have shown that both economic and industrial potential are concentrated in the urban settlements of the Łódź agglomeration but decrease especially towards the south and south-east, and that traditional sectors still dominate. Despite intensive deindustrialisation, industry still plays a significant role in the economic base and functions of most small and medium towns of the voivodeship, as well as parts of some large urban settlements. Further economic development, and the role in it of small and medium towns depends on their further industrialisation or re-industrialisation, while of large and medium urban centres – on knowledge-based services.