Research objectives and hypothesis/research questions:
The objective of the article is to assess the current state of public shelter infrastructure in Poland in the context of evolving security threats, and to analyse the effectiveness of the legal and institutional framework governing civil protection. The study also aims to examine the gap between policy and practical implementation, particularly regarding Temporary Shelter Places (MDS), and its implications for public safety and national resilience. The study is based on the hypothesis that the long-term neglect of shelter infrastructure, combined with insufficient regulatory and organizational coordination, has significantly weakened the effectiveness and resilience of Poland’s civil protection system.

Research methods:
The article examines literature focusing on the deterioration of public shelter infrastructure and the current state of emergency preparedness in Poland, while also addressing the legal and institutional framework governing civil protection and the implications of recent regulations for architectural and urban planning practice. Attention is given to the contemporary risk landscape and the consequences of inadequate shelter infrastructure in the context of modern threats and real-world conflict scenarios (particularly in relation to the ongoing war in Ukraine) and its implications for regional security and civilian protection systems. The article further explores the gap between policy and practice in the design and implementation of protective infrastructure, especially in relation to funding mechanisms and the need for standardized design approaches for Temporary Shelter Places (MDS).

Main results:
The findings of this article demonstrate that, more than three and a half years into the full-scale war in Ukraine, the condition of Poland’s protective infrastructure remains inadequate, thereby confirming the hypothesis that long-term neglect, insufficient investment, and fragmented regulatory coordination have significantly weakened the effectiveness and resilience of the national civil protection system. The analysis revealed substantial deficiencies in the availability, technical condition, and organizational preparedness of shelter infrastructure, as well as a persistent gap between legislative initiatives and their practical implementation within architectural and urban planning processes.

Implications for theory and practice:
To address both regulatory uncertainty and practical challenges, a modular, the integrated shelter design should be proposed as a scalable solution for residential developments.