Metropolitalny wymiar polityki lokalnej na przykładzie Krakowskiego Obszaru Funkcjonalnego

The phenomenon of the metropolization belongs to the most important development processes in the contemporary world. It can be observed also in the Cracow Urban Functional Area. The cohesion policy of the European Union renders assistance to Polish cities in order to strengthen their capabilities to deal with that phenomenon. The relevant new development instrument is the Integrated Territorial Investment, implemented in the current programming period of the EU. The present paper is an example of the on-going participant observation, related to the author’s contribution in the preparation of the Cracow Development Strategy and also of the Strategy of Integrated Territorial Investment for the Cracow Urban Functional Area. The conclusions describe the current understanding of the development processes in big Polish cities in the context of the metropolization.