Lessons Learned from Poland

The present chapter discusses some significant transformations in Polish rural communities, more precisely changes related to landscape, built environment and road infrastructure. The chapter examines how remote sensing can help diagnose these transformations and how one can recognise the vulnerability pointers and vitality assets from these observations. To discuss these aspects, the chapter offers a deeper look at two Polish towns: Bodzentyn and Połaniec, and their surrounding communes (Polish gmina ). Like many other Polish rural towns, Bodzentyn and Połaniec have undergone significant and complex transformations in recent decades. Using freely available remote sensing resources, such as very high-resolution aerial imagery accessible on the Polish national geoportal, as well as medium-resolution Landsat satellite images, the chapter illustrates and critically assesses how one can effectively examine some landscape transformations via aerial or satellite imagery, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of such an approach.