Spatial-Temporal Diversification of Poverty in Wroclaw

Until recently the problem of poverty has been kept on the margin of public policy and debate. With its alarming growth, the issue became a topic of international discussions and research. The reason behind the issue is considered the result of an inadequately implemented development policy, focusing exclusively on economic growth. This leads to a situation in which one part of society is wasting all kinds of available goods, with others being unable to satisfy their basic existential needs and to find a place for themselves in a new consumer reality. So-called development indices, including those used for measuring poverty levels (i.e. the headcount ratio), are aimed at complementing the analysis of the socio-economic or developmental situation of a given area. So far, spatial-temporal analyses of the percentage of poor people within a given community were carried out largely at a supra regional level. This is why this article serves as an attempt to perform research on a local scale calculating the headcount ratio for ten Social Assistance Terrain Units (SATU) within Wroclaw between 2010-2012. This resulted in an estimate of the poverty index for the percentage of city residents in danger of falling into poverty, which in turn allowed to determine the city's problem areas. The analyses are used to determine the standard of living in the city and for the establishing of problem areas in order to make adequate decisions in the context of development and the spatial and social policy of the city, revolving around the balancing of disproportions in urban space. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.