Looking for a vision

Warsaw doesn't look like your average capital city. It's downtown still contains empty plots and dilapidated tenements, which means it is often overshadowed by more exuberant capitals in the region such as Prague and Budapest.

Last week, a conference organized by the Center of Media Communication attempted to tackle the issue. Although city authorities, members of the Sejm, developers and architects agreed on the steps that need to be taken, businesses still complain that there is no concrete vision or inclusive plan to enact those changes.

Traffic jam

According to Michał Borowski, the chief architect of Warsaw, transportation presents the biggest problem facing the development of the city's downtown area, which stems from the significant increase in the number of vehicles in the city over the past 15 years.

"We now have 10 times more vehicles than 15 years ago and this is why all the main squares, such as Konstytucji, Trzech Krzyży and Zbawiciela, have become parking lots," he says.

Borowski adds that Warsaw is probably the last European capital where national road routes from north to south and east to west cross each other at a main intersection in the city center. He believes the only solution is the construction of bypass roads around Warsaw, a project that is intertwined with other urgently needed infrastructure projects, such as bridges and a proper national highway system. 

The chief architect points out that such projects are beyond the power of local governments, and the planning and development of such projects are the responsibility of the Polish government.

Blame game

Paweł Poncyliusz, a Warsaw representative in the Sejm, agrees that developing a highway, airport and railway transport network is the duty of the national government. However, he says there are areas in which the local government should act in order to improve the metropolitan character of Warsaw's city center.

"Warsaw's authorities did not plan where entertainment centers would be located," said Poncyliusz. "This is why the city center is nowadays empty after 8pm. Trade trends are now focused around big shopping complexes, whereas centers and main squares of cities such as Wrocław, Poznań and Kraków remain active and busy."

Something different

Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, a Warsaw representative in the Sejm and Civic Platform's candidate for the president of Warsaw, has her own ideas about how to revitalize Warsaw's downtown.

"All the heritage buildings should be restored and renovated, but some of the tenements in the city center are not in the best condition. That is why a modern center should be designed, so it could be different from what Prague and Budapest have to offer," she says.

Architect Krystyna Gruszecka has developed a plan for Warsaw's downtown area, which will be voted on in the spring. She says that in the area between ul. Konarowa, Al. Jana Pawła II, ul. Chmielna and ul. Miedziana, one third of the existing properties should be demolished. She says the space gained by this operation would provide investors with profitable development opportunities.

She also argues that Al. Jana Pawła II could be developed with more skyscrapers, but proposals for such developments in other areas of Warsaw's downtown should be reconsidered.

"Constructing new tall office buildings would cause an even higher intensification of car transport in the city, which could not be halted even by building multilevel parking lots," says Gruszecka. "This is why we imposed the 30-meter height limitations on new projects."

Putting money to use

Yet developers are still keen to invest in large projects around Warsaw's city center. According to them, there are huge opportunities in designing and developing a new look for the center of Warsaw, which would bring the city closer to becoming the focal point of Central Europe.

"We would like to connect the public space with commercial developments," says Mirosław Szydelski, investment director of AIG/Lincoln Poland. "But vision is needed, so all the developer's money can be put to use."

Szydelski says that there are suggestions to make Al. Jerozolimskie Warsaw's 'grand avenue' up to the point of ul. Nowy Świat. Commercial and residential developments could be built there, but to make it happen Gruszecka's plan needs to be adjusted according to developers' suggestions.

Shop drop

Even though there is a trend towards moving stores into big shopping malls, some owners still appreciate a location in the city center for their business as independent shops, because they are independent of shopping-center management and can capitalize on the natural flow of pedestrians.

However, owners of Warsaw shops complain that they are not able to take full advantage of their location. They point to a lack of accessibility caused by a shortage of parking spaces, and say poor street management and dirty sidewalks have also contributed to a decreasing number of customers. 

"There are no people, no customers in the city because they moved to shopping complexes," said Patrick Delcol, the president of DTC Real Estate. "From a historical point of view, the area from ul. Nowy Świat to ul. Marszałkowska and Al. Jerozolimskie was the traditional trade district in Warsaw. We hope that the revitalization plan of those streets could be put into force."

Before any of these solutions can be enacted, the panelists agreed that regulations must be simplified and a clear vision for the city must be presented and agreed upon. Where that vision will come from is another question.