DYNAMICS OF SIZE CLASSES OF CITIES IN POLAND IN 1950-2018.

The study aims to present variability in the population of individual size classes of Polish cities in 1950-2018, its determinants and consequences for the formation of the settlement system. The application of quartiles as the basic statistical measure allowed identifying which parts of particular size classes of cities had the greatest impact (progressively or regressively) on changes in the settlement system. In this respect, strong dynamics of the upper quartile of Polish cities, lasting until the end of the 1970s, becomes apparent. In the 1980s, the dynamics of the upper quartile of large cities showed a shift during development waves in comparison to the culmination of these waves for medium-sized cities. However, since the end of the 1980s, there has been an increasing role of the lower quartile in determining the direction of changes in the size structure of cities, especially in medium and small cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]