Dlaczego śródmieścia polskich miast mogą przegrać z galeriami handlowymi?

The supermarket has appeared in Poland in '90s and it has became a symbol of social revolution fast. This article describes the reasons for the great success of huge shopping centers and threats caused by their development to the town planning. Polish people that easily accepted a life style based on consumption look for safe, friendly and attractive public spaces. The most city centers, especially that created or rebuilt after the 2nd World War, cannot offer the right conditions to develop the trade and facilities. A sudden growth of motorization and a chaos in the town planning make the situation worst. In this matter the big shopping center as an attractive, air-conditioned and protected space become a favorite place not only to shopping but also to meeting friends, to eat out or to spend the leisure time. Shopping malls gradually replace the city core. Such a phenomenon was described in USA and West Europe countries. These countries have made an effort to prevent the city centers from loosing their social importance since '70s. These works consist in enlarging pedestrian spaces and giving them an appropriate scale and ergonomics. Such an efforts are crucial to the Polish cities.