Presentation Abstracts

Gdansk historic city centre was completely devastated after War World Two. In incoming years a redevelopment of that destroyed in 90 percent area became an unique example of post-war socialist city creation. Nowadays the urban structure of historic centre of Gdansk remains as a chronological record of socialist city development. In turn in first post-war years modern plan called ‚Gdansk 1946′ occurred and consequently in 1949 started a reconstruction of Main Town related with ‚Polish school of conservation’, unrealised competition projects from 1953 of new socialist realism city centre, rebuilding of Old Town which could be compare with similar very important realisation in Szczecin, rebuilding of Old Suburbs as a completely new modern housing district which could be compare with other realisation in Malbork. Finally in late 60′ transport functions started to dominate urban planning and no more big projects were realised on area of Gdansk historic city centre. Today transformation of post-socialist city are mainly very chaotic and unplanned – only projects in architecture scale are realised. Still there remain a quastion of the value of Gdansk historic city centre as an unique record of development of post-socialist city which transformation leads to its destruction.

Rough friendship? Latest discussion on city projects financing between mayor and marshal
Jan Frankowski

In the context of urban policy it is not only important to propose the optimal solutions in areas such transport, public design, smart infrastructure, but also to provide the best financial instruments for its implementation. In 2014 we can observe in Poland the discussion between the most important regional stakeholders, city mayors and regional marshals, concerning the scale, scope and way of support for urban projects. Interestingly, despite the fact that the position of a regional marshal has increased, a mayor still has stronger position in administration system. The aim of this presentation is to show the final results of the negotiation process between them. The research study is based on desk research of the new operational programmes and the media articles. As a result, the biggest conflict had been identified in the voivodeships with two capitals and the regions with strong position of metropolitan area in opposite to the rest of the region. Consequently, it can be stated that friendship even between stakeholders from the same political party is quite rough.

Urban fears
Patrycja Grzyś

During the last decade discourse of safety in the contemporary cities has gained a huge popularity. Urban problems are not longer only the matter of professionals, but also have become a common problem of every member of the city. One of these issues is fear that occurs in urban areas. City as an environment with high population density easily generates the possibility of losing a sense of security or its real loss. Meanwhile a sense of security is one of the basic human needs and inability to ensure it poses a serious problem for the city residents, as potential endangered, as well as for spatial planners, architects and urban planners as creators of these spaces and often accomplices of this feeling.
Fear is always related to human existence but only in the urban environment it takes on a new dimension. Urban space can be both generator of fear or in contrary it can neutralize it. Appropriate urban space management is a huge contributor to the fact that people feel safe and comfortable in some places and don’t feel it at all at the others – where spaces are designed only in the terms or technical or economic conditions. Therefore, spatial planning as a field drawing on the various sciences should take into account beyond purely economic or technical factors also those behavioral one.
Adapting to the changing conditions and by elimination of hazards through the appropriate urban design is one of the basic forms of security. At the moment, in the era of market economy, when security has become from the basic need or value to a fully commercialized product urban design provides a tool that are likely to improve the perception of the city, through the improvement of its form.

Post socialist single family house estates in Wrocław.  Present conditions and problems with its modernization
Zuzanna Napieralska

The idea of modernization and reconstruction  buildings from the socialism epoque is undertaken in many works. Very often, however, the subject divides public opinion. Many people are unaware of architectural potential of those buildings, considering them, mainly as the evidence of communism system.
Unfortunately, there is still no protection policy of the post socialist modern architecture heritage, which would include objects from the 50s to 80s of 20th century (monuments protection statute).
The article will present the results of the research into the present state  of conservation of selected types of single family housing  estates from Polish socialism. The types of housing, chosen for the research, were realized with the Typical Single Family Residential Catalogues (projects presented in those catalogues were usually included into a bank credit program).   I would also present the post socialist groups of single family houses,  in their interesting and well-planned urban scale in Wrocław and indicate their positive and negative aspects.
The result of  research will attempt to establish the direction of a typical single-family building transformation over the last 20 years. The study will also aim to create the criteria for the evaluation process of modernization such as: technical condition of the building and media, the possibility of  adapting a functional scheme to the changing social  needs, new building regulations and economics.