Quality over quantity

There is no city like it. Warsaw’s patchwork history has resulted in an urban landscape that is different from any other in Europe. It’s high time to start focusing on the quality of the city’s design By Matthew Czaja I ts stunning development, exemplified by savvy new high-rises, is witness to over two decades of consistent economic growth. Yet, fast development comes with a price. A general trend of urban sprawl can be witnessed and zoning plan ambiguity is disastrous for builders, the city and the citizens alike. The living quality of Varsovians depends on whether planning solutions that harmonize the city can be enacted. We asked urban planning specialists about the present and future of Warsaw and how to give the city a human scale. [caption id="attachment_77273" align="alignright" width="254"] Image: Davos Design Studio[/caption] Former MP and architect Czesław Bielecki gives two objectives of urban planning: limiting urban sprawl and protection of open space. “It is the city’s responsibility to provide the framework for the market to develop harmoniously, yet freely.” Former candidate for Warsaw’s presidency, Bielecki is part of a citizens’ movement to draft a new urban planning and building code to stimulate responsible planning and enact laws that support it. “We currently have a situation where we have the coexistence of buildings that clash with one another. There is a lack of natural beauty in our urban landscape, which can be remedied by enacting good guidelines,” added Bielecki. One such guideline, might be a respect for maintaining proper urban density – with denser areas concentrated in the city and limited in the suburbs. Currently, there are many high-density projects on the city’s outskirts, which will cause quite an infrastructure and utility provision headache in the future. Urban sprawl practices are also very costly to the taxpayer in general. One thing Warsaw boasts, is wide open (relative to other European cities) spaces in the city center. Hence, physically, a lot can be done to beautify public areas and build up the central districts. What seems to be the biggest problem, is the unclear ownership status of many land parcels. After World War II, the land in the city was nationalized and reconstruction went on according to new parcels. Today, the result is a nightmare in trying to compromise between compensation of rightful owners and the granting of new building permits. Investors are scared off by the unclear status of properties, as well. [caption id="attachment_77271" align="alignleft" width="309"] Targówek Fabryczny, Image: Davos Design Studio[/caption] Corral that sprawl At a recent planning-development conference, “Warsaw Days,” the city’s representatives stated that they will counter suburbanization. One of the reasons being that Warsaw is loosely built up. Compared to Barcelona, for example, it has five times fewer inhabitants per square kilometer of urban space. Furthermore, the city must brace for newcomers. Kazimierz Kirejczyk, residential market expert and CEO at REAS, a residential real estate research firm, foresees the construction of over 200,000 residential units (mainly by private investors) until the year 2030. It is expected that the city will house over three million inhabitants by then. The main tool for urban planning are the local zoning plans. Completed plans cover 35 percent of the city, with another 31 percent being currently worked on, four percent of the city is undergoing a redesign of its plan. “Suburbanization is very much present in Warsaw. People want to buy cheap land and build a single-family home. In effect, this tends to generate disorder. The individual, small-scale investments are often built haphazardly, causing urban sprawl. Infrastructure cannot catch up with such sprawl and carries with it high costs of implementation since it’s done ad hoc,” said Warsaw University of Technology architecture professor Krzysztof Domaradzki. There have been some successes in the planning of urban space in Poland: Manufaktura in Łódź is a fantastic example of renovation of old industrial areas in order to create a new and attractive retail area. The revitalization of the Royal Way, planned by Domaradzki’s Dawos Design Studio, has also done wonders to the city’s most popular tourist pathway. Its lively cafes are the city’s most recognizable feature. After delays in the construction of the second metro line, ul. Świętokrzyska has blossomed into a pleasant boulevard with street furniture. To the chagrin of drivers, the narrow street gave way to a wide sidewalk and bike path. By no means are the above projects void of mistakes, but they’re a move in the right direction. New Ursus The former grounds of the Ursus tractor factory are to be developed as a cohesive, integrated city quarter. A local zoning plan has been granted for the 220-hectare area dubbed as Smart City. With public squares, a central green beltway, schools, a church and a cultural center all included in the plan, this huge new quarter is going to impress. There will be walkways and paths connecting the entire neighborhood and there will be no gated areas. Not one, but two rail stations are in the vicinity and the ride from Ursus to the city center lasts … a whopping 15 minutes. A new viaduct connecting Ursus with the ring highway has been constructed and a second will lead to Bemowo. This could be exactly what Warsaw has been sorely missing – a well-planned, holistic design for urban space. Developer CPD owns 60 hectares of land in Ursus and is leading the entire project. “Quality of life is not only measured by the amount of square meters one can squeeze onto a parcel of land, but rather the quality of the public space that surrounds a house,” said Michalina Wiczkowska, CEO of CPD.  According to Unidevelopment, a partner on the project, Ursus is an investment that is expected to last one decade. The local zoning plan stipulates that CPD may develop 740,000 sqm of space in the new quarter, with around 450,000 sqm devoted to residential apartments, some 250,000 sqm designated for services and about 40,000 sqm for public buildings. The first stage of CPD’s investment will yield 360 residential units (1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartments) in four buildings. A preschool, kindergarten, playground and a new public primary school will also be built alongside. CPD has been listed on the Warsaw bourse since 2010. CPD decided to pass on its right of re-compensation from the city, giving up land for public institutions for free. “We felt this is the right thing to do as an investor that wants to provide basic amenities that increase quality of living,” said Wiczkowska. The re-compensation for land in public investments could be one of the deterrents in establishing quality urban space through zoning plans. According to the current law, the city has to “buy” land at market prices to build streets, parks or schoolyards, resulting in shortages of these amenities. [caption id="attachment_77272" align="alignleft" width="339"] shutterstock[/caption] The commons The Służewiec quarter, a big business district in its own right, is almost totally devoid of public spaces. It grew from individual building permits and without a holistic zoning plan. Hence, the block bordered by ul. Cybernetyki, ul. Obrzeżna, ul. Postępu and ul. Bokserska is a 26-hectare area with new residential and office buildings, but lacking any streets or footpaths that would cut across it. A resident of an apartment on ul. Obrzeżna, for example, must walk a kilometer to reach an office building that is 400 meters away on ul. Postępu. It is also unfair to expect that the taxpayer will fund new, premium infrastructure and transportation options to this densely built-up quarter. Here, the developers need to do their homework. “The market offer is becoming more diversified. It’s not enough to just build an office building. A developer should think of the entire support base, including transportation options and adjacent areas,” said Joanna Mroczek, director of CBRE Research & Marketing. Tenants are no longer eager to scoop up whatever is put up for sale, they are more and more picky. “Poles are evolving to the point that they’re asking themselves what they want from life, other than the basics. Oftentimes, the aura and complimentary facilities are becoming the most important factor in buying a home,” said Wiczkowska. Industrial Targówek Another area due for a revamp, the Targówek Fabryczny quarter, is a mixture of rail tracks, individual pre-war tenements, warehouses, the Wilno neighborhood and industrial sheds that resemble a Mad Max movie set. An urban design competition has yielded a plan for the quarter’s development. The winning plan from Dawos includes the refurbishing of industrial buildings, smooth integration with the nearby Residential Targówek and publicly accessible green spaces. A ring road will be built nearby and a two-level rail station called Warszawa Stalowa will also be accessible to the quarter’s inhabitants. Connection with the second metro line will be just 10 minutes away. So, it seems that another new quarter with fantastic public transportation options is going to be developed in Warsaw. Good urban planning law is a must if Warsaw is to develop harmoniously. The city should enforce certain measures that prevent a hodgepodge development style and the pouring out of the city to the suburbs. Of course, all sides, investors, inhabitants and city hall should carry responsibility for the aesthetic appearance of the nation’s capital and a forum where these ideas can be shared is needed. u