“Wanted” vs “Unwanted”: Different Faces of Suburbanisation in Polish Cities—The Case of Gdańsk

Suburbanisation in Poland intensified alongside the socio‐political and economic transformation after 1989. While urban expansion had also occurred earlier, the post‐socialist transition fundamentally reshaped its mechanisms through market liberalisation, the emergence of private developers, and the growing importance of planning regulations. A key feature of this transformation is the emergence of a dual planning regime, in which statutory zoning coexists with special‐purpose legal mechanisms that allow residential structures to be developed despite the specific character of binding local plans, subject to municipal approval and negotiated public‐benefit investments. These changes have produced contradictory outcomes, including increasing pressure to urbanise agricultural land and growing resistance to suburban densification. This article examines the evolution of suburbanisation in Poland through three case studies in the city of Gdańsk: Olszynka, Klukowo (a subarea in Matarnia), and Błonia (a subarea in Rudniki), which represent contrasting suburbanisation trajectories. Using a qualitative comparative case study approach, the study conceptualises suburbanisation as a governance process shaped by the interaction among planning instruments, market dynamics, and social acceptance. By introducing the distinction between “wanted” and “unwanted” suburbanisation, the article contributes to debates on suburban development and city extensions in post‐socialist Europe, showing how suburbanisation is selectively promoted, contested, or negotiated depending on the alignment between institutional strategies, market pressures, and local expectations.