This paper is a voice in a discussion about the form of the suburbs of Warsaw, the way they develop and conflicts they cause in rural areas. It presents selected results of a study on housing estates localized in rural areas, at a distance from Warsaw of one hour drive during peak hours. These conclusions are mostly based on interviews with developers and investors.

The research demonstrated that there are many manifestations of spatial chaos, especially in its functional dimension. The larger the housing estate, the more new dwellers and their cars, more consumption of natural resources, increasing pollution. All these consequences because of the dominance of only one function in the land use and depletion of development reserves generate many conflicts and difficulties in daily functioning of the entire urban region. Housing estates away from build-up areas, which are often a pioneering investments, serve an additional stimulus to other investors, also individual, and other inhabitants who would like to settle in such places. In case of municipalities of Warsaw suburban zone there is a need to overcome a few development barriers at the same time. Until this happens, a permanent functional chaos can be expected. Housing estates contribute to this situation but they are not the only kind of investments responsible for this.

The study highlighted the fact that in addition to legal imperfections, mostly emphasized in the literature on the subject, a major cause of spatial chaos is widespread social attitude geared to realization of the particular interests of groups or individuals. This attitude is not so much from the overall commercialization of life, but from an absence of awareness of long-term results of their own activities, as shown in interviews with developers and representatives of local authorities. Not without significance is the lack of basic knowledge and awareness among the majority of people surveyed in terms of the complexity of the phenomenon that is the spatial disorder. Without sufficient knowledge and awareness about the rational urbanization among all actors involved in shaping the space – both from government and private level – it will be difficult to continue to control further chaotic space development, not to mention the repairing the material and social consequences of what was the effect of this lack of awareness.

Key words: housing estate, Warsaw suburban zone, developers, spatial disorder