Look in strange places
Take public toilets. While a necessity, many around Warsaw have fallen into grave states of disrepair over the years or were known as places that weren't even fit to ... well you get the idea.
But as our feature article on page 4 of this week's Lokale Immobilia shows, the market and entrepreneurs can often turn lemons into lemonade when government just sits with a sour puss.
Numerous entrepreneurs around Warsaw have rented public toilets from city authorities, spruced them up and turned them into thriving small businesses. Not only that, but these business owners have managed to convince the public that not only is it safe to once again enter these facilities, but even to eat and drink in them. That's no small accomplishment given the reputation these public facilities once had.
The lesson to be learned is that the rejuvenation of the city will ultimately be led by such private pioneers. To promote growth and change, the city should identify as many areas as possible where it should step aside. That's not to say that the city shouldn't do anything, which it seemingly does all too often in areas where it should be active. Rather, the city should put in place a coherent framework that allows for development and change and then let the real experts go to work. (It possibly should stay in the toilet business as well, seeing as how this is a vital public function. But privatization should be considered here as well and more modern relief options, as seen in cities such as Paris or New York, should be entertained.)
Toilets are a start. But there are many other areas where similar progress can be made. The most obvious example is the extensive portfolio of city center real estate owned by a variety of city agencies. These properties are generally in disrepair and do not promote rejuvenation because lease-holders pay well below market rents and don't have to upgrade to survive.
The longer this situation continues, the quicker the rot will set in to the city center. At the same time, the business focus will slowly move out to the malls and business parks springing up on the outskirts of Warsaw. Ultimately, the city center will die if entrepreneurial development is stifled by city agencies that cannot manage businesses and properties and are unwilling to let others do the job.
At the moment, it is difficult for many to picture the city center turning into the slum. But it's happened time and time again to far more developed and prosperous metropolises than Warsaw. The danger is very real, and it is imperative that this deterioration is reversed now.
That's not an impossible task. It's just difficult for some to see that the solution to the city's long-term woes is to be found in public toilets.
But as our feature article on page 4 of this week's Lokale Immobilia shows, the market and entrepreneurs can often turn lemons into lemonade when government just sits with a sour puss.
Numerous entrepreneurs around Warsaw have rented public toilets from city authorities, spruced them up and turned them into thriving small businesses. Not only that, but these business owners have managed to convince the public that not only is it safe to once again enter these facilities, but even to eat and drink in them. That's no small accomplishment given the reputation these public facilities once had.
The lesson to be learned is that the rejuvenation of the city will ultimately be led by such private pioneers. To promote growth and change, the city should identify as many areas as possible where it should step aside. That's not to say that the city shouldn't do anything, which it seemingly does all too often in areas where it should be active. Rather, the city should put in place a coherent framework that allows for development and change and then let the real experts go to work. (It possibly should stay in the toilet business as well, seeing as how this is a vital public function. But privatization should be considered here as well and more modern relief options, as seen in cities such as Paris or New York, should be entertained.)
Toilets are a start. But there are many other areas where similar progress can be made. The most obvious example is the extensive portfolio of city center real estate owned by a variety of city agencies. These properties are generally in disrepair and do not promote rejuvenation because lease-holders pay well below market rents and don't have to upgrade to survive.
The longer this situation continues, the quicker the rot will set in to the city center. At the same time, the business focus will slowly move out to the malls and business parks springing up on the outskirts of Warsaw. Ultimately, the city center will die if entrepreneurial development is stifled by city agencies that cannot manage businesses and properties and are unwilling to let others do the job.
At the moment, it is difficult for many to picture the city center turning into the slum. But it's happened time and time again to far more developed and prosperous metropolises than Warsaw. The danger is very real, and it is imperative that this deterioration is reversed now.
That's not an impossible task. It's just difficult for some to see that the solution to the city's long-term woes is to be found in public toilets.
