**5. The current status - the path to sustainable housing**

After thirty years of development of the housing sector in Poland in free market conditions, it should be stated that it is very diverse and is constantly changing. The housing situation was undoubtedly culturally determined, but most of all it resulted from the adopted social policy and economic development strategy. The housing shortage turned out to be an inherent feature of Polish reality, characteristic of both the extreme inequalities of the interwar period, the egalitarianism of the Communist system, and the new economic situation [17]. The period of cooperative construction has irretrievably passed, but a huge number of flats still remain in the cooperative stock. In addition to modern, comfortable housing estates in many cities, there are districts with neglected buildings that require enormous expenditure on insulation or renovation. Housing estates erected by housing co-operatives in the 1960s and 1970s require a special renovation effort. Actions are required in the technological and architectural sphere, as it is necessary to improve the functional quality of flats, and sometimes to add balconies or lift shafts. It was only in 1997 that Polish law introduced an obligation to take into account the needs of disabled people when designing and constructing buildings. However, most multi-family buildings built before that year have not been adapted to the needs of disabled people, and their adaptation is often impossible because of narrow staircases or corridors inside the premises, or a very small size of the rooms.

For years, various types of instruments have been introduced to improve the housing conditions and the condition of buildings erected in the pre-war period, or in the times of the Polish People's Republic. Such instruments include bank loans granted on preferential terms to housing communities or housing cooperatives for renovation purposes, and renovation bonuses granted to tenement house owners who carry out their renovation. The problem concerns not only the flats and buildings in which the flats are located, but also the surroundings. The priority is to restore the balance in towns and cities so that they provide good conditions, not only for housing, but also for spending leisure time. Social expectations are growing not only with regard to the standard of the dwelling itself, but also the standard of the living environment.

Poland's accession to the European Union, which took place on May 1, 2004, caused changes also in the housing market. Numerous legal acts had to be adapted to the standards in force in the member states. Thanks to various types of aid programmes, it has become possible to restore valuable historic buildings, and the beneficiaries of the aid include municipalities and religious associations.

The condition of the historic parts of cities is currently very different, apart from the restored tenement houses, there are also some that require thorough renovation. Therefore, on October 9, 2015, the Revitalization Act (Journal of Laws 2021, item 485) was adopted, the purpose of which is to provide a legal framework for the processes of renewal of cities and smaller towns. These processes are carried out by the relevant municipalities, on the basis of communal revitalization programmes, and they consist in removing dilapidated areas from their critical condition through integrated activities concentrated territorially for the local communities, space and economy. The participants of the revitalization processes are residents of the revitalization areas as well as owners, perpetual usufructors of real estate and real estate managers located in that area, including housing cooperatives, housing communities, as well as the local and public authorities. As part of revitalization programmes, damaged city areas, such as postindustrial sites, are restored.

Gradually, measures are also taken to improve the air quality in cities. For years, subsidy programmes have been in place for individual building owners to replace coal stoves with other heating systems. From 2020, there is an obligation in Polish law to connect newly built buildings to the municipal heating network in order to avoid equipping new or renovated buildings with systems emitting exhaust fumes.

In many places, on the initiative of local authorities, numerous measures are taken to improve the quality of life, increase the amount of green areas, and build or restore areas for recreation. In the development programmes of numerous municipalities, the improvement of living conditions in cities is an important goal for the implementation of which various activities are undertaken. Parks, squares, and riverside areas, which for years have remained neglected and unused by the inhabitants, are being revitalized. Much emphasis is also placed on expanding telecommunications networks to ensure universal access to the Internet.

The development market is growing, but the demand for new flats is not weakening. According to the data from 2018, 84% of Poles live in their own flats, and only 16% in rented premises [11]. This proves that the ownership of a flat is of great importance as a right that ensures financial stability and the security of the family's existence. As it seems, for people born before 1980, this may be the result of experiences from before the transformation period, when house ownership was unavailable and housing cooperatives or work establishments remained almost the sole suppliers of housing. The Polish housing market still remains a market in a period of growth, which will probably take place until the housing needs of the society are met.
