The INSTITUTE OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT (IUD) located in Krakow, was established in the November 2002 following the decision of the Polish Minister of Infrastructure on joined resources of the Institute of Physical Planning and Municipal Economy - Krakow Branch (IGPiK O/Krakow) and the Housing Research Institute (IGM) in Warsaw.

IUD (IRM) is a scientific and research institute. Its legacy contains a rich tradition and achievements in the areas of research and practical application of research results obtained in spatial planning, land management, environment shaping and protection, municipal and housing economies, building and real-estate management.

The Institute has worked out self-developed and tested methods and techniques for resolution of specific problems. As a research and development unit carries out both continuous research and pilot projects and works on continuous quality improvement.

The results of research works are used by the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure and other government agencies, Parliament committees and regional and local governments. The results of current operations are published in own publications and regular scientific and professional journals.

The Institute of Urban Development cooperates with many Polish universities, scientific institutes and individual experts.
Our Institute maintains contacts and collaboration with foreign organisations in projects such as:

• projects financed by the British Know-How Fund,
• projects financed by the E. U. Framework Programmes (SUREURONET, SURE, ReUrban),
• projects under INTERREG IIB, INTERREG III B and INTERREG III C (FOCUS, InterMETREX, PolyMETREXplus, Knowledge Networks, PlaNet CenSE, REPUS, Carpathian Project, CoUrbIT),
• URBACT and URBACT II projects,
• EU project COOP.

The Institute is also a member or cooperates with the following institutions and networks:

• National Dissemination Point for the URBACT Programme in a consortium with the Association of Polish Cities and the Silesian Union of Municipalities and Districts
• The International Federation for Housing and Planning (IFHP)
• The European Network of Housing Research (ENHR)
• The European New Town Platform (ENTP),
• The Network of European Metropolitan Areas and Regions (METREX),
• The International Network for Urban Development (INTA),
• The European Council of Town Planners (ECTP),
• The European Urban Knowledge Network (EUKN),
• SAFEGE Ingenieurs Conscils, France,
• The Nation Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT).

The Institute achievement include for example the works carried out by the IGPiK O/Kraków and IGM as part of aid offered to municipalities (Phare Fund, The British Know-How Fund, USAID), such as:

• national training programme “land Management in Municipalities”, elaborated in cooperation with british partners form Llewelyn-Davies and University College London;
• pilot projects on spatial planning, land management, urban renewal, regional strategic planning, regional spatial development, etc.,
• housing strategies

Other projects were conducted jointly with the Norwegian Institute of Urban and Regional Research – NIBR (Norway) and the University of Lille (France), the Institute of Urban Development and Housing in Frankfurt/Oder (Germany), the Technical University of Vienna (Austria), the Leibniz Institute for Regional Development and Structural Planning (Germany), the Institute for Housing and Environment (Germany) and the Schader Foundation (Germany).
The Institute is not only the successor of the activities of the Krakow branch of the IGPiK and the IGM but also develops its own research and practical activities oriented towards development planning and city management as well as urban space economics.

The Institute's personnel is an interdisciplinary team of research and technical staff representing the following areas: urban planning, spatial planning, architecture, geography, law, economy, biology, civil engineering, hydro-engineering, sanitary engineering, land reclamation, transportation, computer science, organisation and management,.

The IRM team also includes experts and specialists holding authorisations of polish professional institutions and organisations, covering fields such as architecture, urban lanning, civil engineering, real estate consulting, as well as experts in the field of construction engineering, sanitary engineering, Environmental issues and many others. The Institute is member of international consortia participating in research projects of the European Union, and its intention is to increase its involvement in research projects supported by the EU, the UN and other organizations.

The Institute has worked out self-developed and tested methods and techniques for resolution of specific problems. As a research and development unit carries out both: constant research and pilot projects and works on continuous quality improvement.


Jerzy Adamski
Director