Celem autora było przedstawienie w oparciu o inwentaryzację urbanistyczną aktualnego użytkowania ziemi i zagospodarowaniu najstarszej historycznej dzielnicy Elbląga, który, jako miasto znacznie zniszczone po II wojnie światowej, stanął przed zadaniem odbudowy jego historycznej części, a zarazem unowocześnienia zabudowy. W artykule podjęto próbę scharakteryzowania i opisania współczesnej przestrzeni staromiejskiej Elbląga, w średniowiecznym rejonie tej dzielnicy - Starym Mieście, w świetle dokonanych modernizacji oraz ich wpływu na zagospodarowanie tego obszaru.

The paper attempt to describe contemporary condition in land use and development in the oldest historical district of Elblag, which as a city destroyed in the course of World War II, has faced the task of rebuilding the historic city center. It also discusses the possibility of modernizing city buildings in order to bring the city into the twenty first century. An attempt was made to characterize and describe changes carried out in Elbląg in light of its postwar modernization and impact on the general development of its geographic area. An analysis of available data leads to the conclusion that work carried out on the reconstruction of the old city in Elblag has been successful. It is true that the function of the old city has changed; it is now a become mostly residential area. Its boundaries have also changed due to postwar changes in the street plan. However, in the context of the socio-economic and political context of that era in Poland, it may be argued that these changes had not affected in a significant way the development of the oldest district of Elblag. The use of "retroversion" in the urban reconstruction process remains a questionable issue - but this is mainly an aesthetic issue and as such does not affect the pattern of development of the district’s urban space.