EN
Herewith article is an example of applying of some quantity method to analyse changes in town settlement network within the framework of a region. This region compreses Bydgoszcz voivodship within bounds before administrative reform in 1975. The area that composed Bydgoszcz voivodship when the war was over, belonged to the territory supplied with a danse, previously formed network of towns and a high percentage of a town population. Dynamic increase of regional economy, its industrialization undoubtedly influenced upon the further rate of urban process i.e. upon a system of town settlement. An attempt to answer the following questions was undertaken, while analyzing the changes in town settlement in Bydgoszcz voivodship in 1946-1970: does an economic development of the region reflect in the town settlement network and what is the direction and size of these changes? How did the changes in settlement network influence upon the homogenity of a system as a whole and what was a dynamics of changes? Preliminary examination pointed out that in the period, mentioned above, the changes comprised mostly size and functional structure of the town network its density changed considerably less as a number of cities changed slighty. A process of concentration of population in the great towns such as Bydgoszcz, Toruń, Włocławek, Grudziądz, Inowrocław was evident. At the same time the numer of population in small settlements declined. Small towns counting 10-20 thousand inhabitants were found in a specific situation. A number of inhabitants has been increasing quite regularly as they developed town-creating functions. Moreover population emigrating from the countryside and the small settlements regarded these towns as „transitional statins” on the way to the greater centres. Diagram of dislocation in the rang of the towns in Bydgoszcz voivodship (diagram 1) served to analysis the changes in hierarchical system of units. Four types of towns developement were separated here: 1. Towns of permanent status 2. Towns of ununiform developement 3. Towns still developing 4. Towns loosing their rang Permanent status in this division belongs to the big towns while the remaining units often changed their position. This phenomena was usually connected with the development of industry or its shortage, administrative changes also influenced upon permanent status of these towns. Distribution of the towns accepted as a theoretical model accordingly the rule of sequence and size (Zipf rule) pointed out that the system of town settlement has been considerably changing due to economic development. Increasing quantity of contrast exponent „a” confirm and intensive process of population concentration in the big towns, at the same time a number of inhabitants of small settlements has been declining. Diagram pointed out a gap in settlement system within the towns of means size that could be interpreted as a staggery of homogenity in town settlement system. Calculation of the exponent „a” mentioned above allowed to confirm that the process of changes in the town regional system was more intensive in 1946-1960 than the next period. This conclusion acknowledges a strict correlation between a dynamics of economic developement and the changes of the town settlement network.