Aim of the study:
The purpose of the study was to determine the degree of build development dispersion (urban sprawl) in selected rural areas of the Małopolska Region in the years 2014 and 2024, using spatial autocorrelation indices (Moran’s I). The hypothesis that we tested considered greater clustering of built development in areas with high coverage of local spatial development plans (MPZP) compared to areas developed primarily based on planning permits (“decision on the conditions of building and site development,” WZiZT).

Material and methods:
The research included an analysis of four municipalities with varying degrees of local spatial development plan coverage during the years 2014–2024, utilizing BDOT10k data. Both global and local Moran’s I statistics were calculated in a QGIS environment for the selected areas. The analysis was based on a 250 × 250 m square grid.

Results and conclusions:
In all municipalities, the global Moran’s I index values were positive (0.36–0.49), indicating a trend towards the clustering of built development, albeit with a clear contribution of dispersion (sprawl). The index value increased in every municipality (from 3% to 9%) over the 10-year period. The local analysis showed the stability of the main clusters of compact development (HH) and undeveloped areas (LL). The results did not confirm the hypothesis; although an increase in spatial autocorrelation was observed in all study areas, its intensity was not proportional to the degree of coverage by local spatial development plans.