Teka Komisji Urbanistyki i Architektury Oddziału Polskiej Akademii Nauk w Krakowie

This article is an introduction to the subject matter discussed in the forty-seventh issue of “Teka…”, the Journal of the Urban Design and Architecture Commission of the Krakow Branch of the Polish Academy of Sciences. It focuses on the aesthetic matters associated with the shaping and protection of urban spaces. It is also a homage to the academic achievements of Professor Wojciech Kosiński, as a scholar and an architect.

The author paints a personal and often critical image of three cities — those, which he is the most familiar with and which are particularly dear and close to him. Despite being familiar with tens of the most renowned cities in the world, the author has selected fully familial examples, which he has had and continues to have personal ties. Throughout their histories, they have been subjected to dramatic events. In terms of spatial creation, they underwent — and continue to undergo-fluid, hybrid, ambivalent and often controversial transformation. They have also been treated implicitly, as subjectively-presented models of cities in general — as well as of their fate and evolution. The author considers the city to be — perhaps — the greatest expression of human culture and civilisation.

In the article the author acquaints the readers with a number of renovated nineteenth-century market halls, that are located in Barcelona, as well as the Markthal, a new and large market hall opened in Rotterdam in 2014. Avant-garde contemporary designs were presented, demonstrating the philosophy of introducing new shapes into a historical environment different for each architect. Apart from the predominant function of selling foodstuffs from practically all over the world, market halls are places, that are proof of the individuality and local traditions of every European city.

The text attempts to show the forgotten beauty in architecture. It seems, that the “drawn” architecture can reveal more than the real — built one. The avant-garde of the early 20th century killed in art the need to strive for beauty. Novelty and contemporarily advertising form of architecture are becoming the most important. However, the problem of beauty seems to be still interesting in art. Architecture is slowly departing from the functionalist way of creating, yet it cannot return to the beauty, that once was so important. It is the drawn one, carrying the message of unreality, that makes it possible to return to the forgotten approach to creation. Architects’ drawings can bring back a visionary and idealistic message.

The paper aims to analyse the relationship between the city space and the art present in public spaces and narrative located therein. Analysis of selected examples of contemporary art in urban space and literature allows the conclusion, that interdisciplinary narrativity descending from a literary work, allows for the transfer of meanings from public art objects to the city space and individual narratives of recipients. Not just the meanings, that the artists intend to convey, but also the meanings individually interpreted by those, who observe the work.

Western Ukraine arouses a high emotional charge of historical origin. There are a number of buildings and complexes in this area created since the 14th century, that are the witnesses of the Polish presence and our contribution to the culture of these lands. The monuments of sacred architecture and numerous military ones occupy a special place. In the short interwar period a number of structures and complexes that demonstrate a high level of design technique were created. Their current technical state is usually very bad. Our participation in restoring splendour to the witnesses of our, historical centuries-old presence, would be beneficial.

Similarly to many towns in Galicia, Rzeszów has gained street planting at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. In the period after World War II, little attention was paid to them. It is only from the beginning of the first decade of the 21st century, that we have seen a clear breakthrough. “Modernized” forms of planting are returning to historical places, and new communication arteries are planted with numerous specimens of tree, perennial and seasonal plants, well selected in terms of habitat requirements.

In this article we pay attention to some theoretical backgrounds for the redesign of nineteenth-century public parks in Central and Eastern Europe. The research is part of a larger project ‘The design history of nineteenth-century public parks in Central and Eastern Europe; contemporary use and future development’ (HYPPE), initiated by the Faculty of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism in Budapest, in which nine schools of landscape architecture in nine different countries in Central and Eastern Europe participate and collaborate.

We will focus here on some theoretical backgrounds, that form the foundation for a research and design approach, in which the diversity and similarity of the sites, contexts and design problems can be assured. Product (plan and realisation) and process (design) play a role in the parks as object of planning and design; on the one hand we distinguish between land, landscape and landscape architecture, on the other one — at the same time the difference in approaches between science and design play a role in the relation between research and design.

In the second part backgrounds and principles, that underpin the relation between conservation and development in historical settings of parks are dealt with. Different design approaches — from restoration to complete reconstruction are highlighted. Applying these principles to nineteenth-century public parks in Central and Eastern Europe shows, where generic backgrounds and specifics of site, history and culture meet.

In the third part the new challenges for landscape architecture, that society requires from contemporary planning and design is elaborated. Energy transition, water management and the creation of healthy environments for people are as such not new for landscape architecture, but in this stage new steps have to be taken, that reach beyond, what is already practised. Here the explorative and experimental character of the design approach comes to the surface because for these aspects there are no precedents yet, they have to be developed by practice, research on evidence and imagining solutions, that are beyond the usual practice of energy transition, water management and the creation of healthy environments for people. For landscape architecture a synthetical and coherent design concept forms the core of the contribution; the search for a meaningful new order.

During 2017, the authors conducted an evaluation of so-called “veteran trees” in Warsaw — selected specimens with outstanding historical, landscape and natural values, but not taken under legal protection, situated within public space (streets, squares, public facilities) — as part of a pilot program for the Green Board of Warsaw. The following were examined: the condition of trees, the surrounding ground’s condition, spatial conditions. The presented results include an example of two locations — prestigious streets, on which legible systems of street tree plantings from the beginning of the 20th century have been preserved (Piękna Street, J. Ch. Szucha Avenue). The protection of old trees — living witnesses of history and the maintenance of the original spatial form — classic avenue arrangement in both cases are essential for preservation of the historical pre-war scenery of this part of Warsaw.

Fruit tree orchards were present in some public parks from the very beginning of their existence in the 19th century. Apart from the utilitarian role, in the 20th and 21st centuries, they also gained different ones: ornamental — on account of high aesthetic qualities of fruit trees in the flowering and fruit-bearing seasons, environmental and ecological — related to supporting biodiversity, cultural — in the context of memory of old forms of using rural and allotment gardens, social — as a space for leisure, and even therapeutic — as an element of hortitherapy. The growing popularity of orchards indicates a change in the trends in contemporary public parks development.

Aesthetic functions of greenery in urban public space are examined using examples of cities in Slovakia, focusing on periods of changes of aesthetic principles. Greenery, tree alleys and public parks notably enter urban public space in the 19th century, with application of contemporary aesthetic principles. During the 20th century, bio-ecological values of vegetation rather than aesthetic functions move to the centre of interest. Today, lack of maintenance and conceptual planning are often reflected in poor aesthetic appeal of greenery.

This article will focus on an analytical framework as a research tool in design disciplines. Key problem for an analytical framework in landscape architecture is how to deal with the dynamics of landscape form, design and use in the design process.

We start with a short overview will be given of analytical frameworks. In the second part some generic principles of analytical frameworks will be applied in three case studies of 19th century public parks. The third part will focus on how results of such an analysis can be used for the future and how results of peopleenvironment studies can be part of that.

One of the conclusions is, that people-environment studies can play a role before, during and after the design process. In most cases results of people-environment studies cannot be applied directly but rather as part of an iterative process of research and design.

In the Polish spatial planning law one of basic principles is to preserve spatial order. However, the analysis of the law and its implementation show, that instead of spatial order, overall circumstances promote disorder. The analysis covers the law adopted in 2018, which aimed at boosting the development of housing. Findings show, that the new law may rather promote chaos in urban space. One of the drawbacks is undermining of the spatial order by creating the possibility of adopting resolutions pertaining to housing and accompanying services, that are contradictory to provisions of master plans.

The article presents a scientific research concerning the role and development of one of the most important leisure and recreation areas in Warsaw — Pole Mokotowskie, located near the city center, in three districts: Ochota, Śródmieście and Mokotów (part of the area is the Park of Józef Piłsudski). The research concentrates on determining the influence of contemporary spatial transformations of the park area on the spatial composition of the park.

The significance of American expos in the history of world’s fairs, as well as in the history of planning, urban design, architecture and landscape architecture is extraordinary. In the article, which constitutes the first part of a report on the carrying out of the research project entitled “Urban and architectural heritage, as well as the impact of American world expos on city planning and development”, a retrospective outlook on American world expos has been presented on the examples of New York and Chicago, with a particular focus on their long-term heritage, which affects the development of their host cities.

The subject-matter of the article is the lost cultural heritage of the Jewish minority in Przemyśl and the present-day development of the historic quarter. In the article, the question of revitalization of this part of Przemyśl is outlined. The significant part of the research is the an alysis of maps and historical plans by means of indicating changes and comparison to the current outline of the city. In the last chapter of the article, the characteristics of Jewish houses based on the study on the discovered fragments of walls was conducted.

This article concerns church monuments, which are part of the cultural heritage of Dukla. This is a town with medieval origins, located within the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, in the Krosno district. In the past it was an important centre of commerce on the Hungarian Route. Merchant traditions in Dukla are mainly associated with trade and storage of wine, which was kept in the cellars under the main market square in Dukla. Because of the rank, which the town used to have in the past, it can boast numerous monuments including objects associated with the administrative, commercial and economic functions of the town, as well as — or perhaps primarily — sacred objects. Among the latter, one has to mention firstly the parish church of St Mary Magdalene, the church and monastery complex of the Bernardine Order, and the synagogue of the Jewish community, that once used to live in Dukla. Those objects, their cultural value and issues related to their protection constitute the subject of this study.

Villa architecture after 1914 comprises a diverse and extensive group of buildings. The lack of a system of valuating them leads to their analyses being a time-consuming and complex process. Their justification can refer primarily to architectural and urban planning tendencies, including: the impact on the space of previously built estates, the assessment of the quality of their architecture in the landscape context and the continuity of design traditions, contemporary interventions associated with renovation work. The protection of villas from the interwar period, appears to be particularly important. Their cultural value and the quality of the landscape, that they co-create with their accompanying gardens is highly significant to the identity of the city.

The authenticity of the historical garden, as defined by the Florence Charter, is conducive to its broad interpretation. In the era of the present crisis of conservation values, the identification of criteria helpful in an objective assessment of the authenticity of both historical and historising forms of greenery is required.

On the example of the restoration’s solutions in the gardens at Wilanów and the condition of selected elements of the urban greenery in Warsaw, it is possible to verify the model of valorization of factors determining the vegetation’s authenticity proposed by the author of the article. This model also allows to emphasize the features determining the role of royal gardens in Wilanów in maintaining the historical horticultural values of modern Warsaw.