Land use changes in urbanized areas located in the cities of the lake district – Ostróda residential areas case study

Land use changes in urbanized areas result from inter alia state policy, local policy, socio-economic situation and environmental conditions. The aim of this study was to present changes that occur in Ostróda town, which is located in the lake district, and to present the distribution, concentration and change trends in residential areas within the administrative boundaries of the town. The additional aim was implementing the research methods, which uses the modern geoinformation methods. The input data were maps from 1988 to 2017 and orthophotomaps. City surfaces were covered with a grid of squares that served as the base for interpolation. The next stage was to create maps that would present the distribution, concentration and changes in residential areas. The results indicate that residential concentration increased in both developed and undeveloped areas. The identification of areas characterized by the most extensive changes and the highest residential concentration was determined. The results show that city space undergoes constant changes and the location in the lake district can be both a potential and a partial development barrier. The presented research approach can be implemented in other spatial units, e.g. small, medium or large cities, metropolitan areas or rural areas.