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43
How to cite:
Nejman R., Łepkowski M., Wilczyńska A. & Gawryszewska B. J. (2018) The
right to wild. Green urban wasteland in the context of urban planning, Urban
Development Issues, vol. 59, pp. 43–53.
DOI: 10.2478/udi-2018-0027
URBAN ISSUES
The right to wild. Green urban wasteland
in the context of urban planning
Abstract
In the authors’ view, the existing urban planning system is not favourable to the
temporality and variability of urban wastelands, which complement traditional
urban greenery through a range of functions such as; gardens, meeting spaces,
places to walk the dog etc. Consequently, the aim of the paper is to investigate
functions and possible scenarios for the development of urban wastelands in
Poland. e methods used in the research include a comparative assessment
of wasteland case studies from Warsaw and Tarnów and a comparison of pos-
sible development scenarios based on case studies from dierent cities across
Europe. Wastelands were researched to establish their location, their functions,
the distance from inhabited areas and the types of other green areas located
within a min. isochrone from the surrounding housing area. Case studies of
development scenarios were researched to establish their changing functions,
the continuity of design and the algorithm of creation. e authors conducted
qualitative interviews, mapping, inventories of territorial marks (makeshi
benches or other constructions made by users showing the way they ‘own’ the
area), investigation of local development plans and literature reviews to gather
the data used. e collation of results has led to the creation of a ‘wastelands
toolkit’ – a tool dedicated to urban planners and decision makers.
submitted: October 2017
reviewed: April 2018
accepted: September 2018
© 2018 Ryszard Nejman, Maciej Łepkowski, Anna Wilczyńska & Beata J. Gawryszewska.
is is an open access article licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-NoDerivs License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).
Ryszard Nejman, Maciej Łepkowski, Anna Wilczyńska, Beata J.
Gawryszewska
#informal development
#bottom-up initiatives
#urban planning
#urban greenery
#development scenarios
#wasteland toolkit
Ryszard Nejman
Warsaw University of Life
Sciences, Faculty of Horticulture,
Biotechnology and Landscape
Architecture, Department of
Landscape Art, Poland
Maciej Łepkowski
Warsaw University of Life
Sciences, Faculty of Horticulture,
Biotechnology and Landscape
Architecture, Department of
Landscape Art, Poland
Anna Wilczyńska
Warsaw University of Life
Sciences, Faculty of Horticulture,
Biotechnology and Landscape
Architecture, Department of
Landscape Art, Poland
Beata J. Gawryszewska*
Warsaw University of Life
Sciences, Faculty of Horticulture,
Biotechnology and Landscape
Architecture, Department of
Landscape Art, Poland
beata_gawryszewska@sggw.pl
BY NC ND
44
Ryszard Nejman, Maciej Łepkowski, Anna Wilczyńska, Beata J. Gawryszewska
The right to wild. Green urban wasteland in the context of urban planning
Introduction
e common conviction that every Polish city should be densely and ‘spec-
tacularly’ built-up in order to show modernity may lead to a constant de-
crease in the quantity and quality of green open spaces (Gawryszewska :
–). is is also applicable to abandoned and unmaintained areas, which
are dened as ‘urba n wastelands’ (UW). ese spaces have mainly appeared
due to dramatic political, economic and social changes in urban structure.
e changes have occurred mainly during the early s as a consequence
of the collapse of communism (Kusiak ; Żydek ).
e concept of ‘wasteland’ is deeply pejorative, especially in the Polish
language. If one refers to the agricultural genealogy of this word we are led
to the synonym ‘fallow’. An association with waste and mismanagement
cannot be avoided as every good farmer uses all his available land. erefore;
in view of such connotations, the word ‘wasteland’ is especially useful when
the goal consists of the spatial development of a fragment of urban struc-
ture. It works perfectly in t he language of investors from both the public and
private sectors, who by means of proper concept selection create a positive
image of their business activities. Such narration resonates positively with
the public, in its broad sense. However, under the surface of this stereotype,
wastelands very oen work as multifunctional green spaces for everyday
recreation (Łepkowski, Nejman & Wilczyńska : –). ere have been
many papers devoted to the issue of wastelands, main ly in the context of their
ecological value (Kowarik ; Tredici ) and the resulting tendency to
transform such areas into places of ecological education (Stöcker, Suntken
& Wissel : –; Jakubowski : –). Many cities can a lready boast
vast achievements in this eld. Within such cities there are parks designed
and maintained with the aim to protecting their natural values, whilst pro-
ducing these values at the same time.
F
Two perspectives meet in UW – the munic-
ipality and developer, who want to restore
it by using it for new construction and
the inhabitants, who treat it as their home
area. e inscription on the wall Romans
go home refers to the imperialism of the
Roman Empire
Source: photo by Maciej Łepkowski
45
Ryszard Nejman, Maciej Łepkowski, Anna Wilczyńska, Beata J. Gawryszewska
The right to wild. Green urban wasteland in the context of urban planning
Wastelands are distinguished by their informal
character and lack of control over them. This cre-
ates the conditions for specific types of human ac-
tivity, which cannot be observed in other places
(Gawryszewska, Wilczyńska & Łepkowski : ).
In this perspective UW could be perceived as one of the
few informal urban spaces where people can behave
freely and spontaneously according to their needs and
ideas. As J. Gehl (: ) said ‘(...) green areas are
crisscrossed by trampled footpaths showing how the
inhabitants have voted with their feet in protest at the
stiff, formal city plan’. Along with trampled footpaths,
UW reveal many other forms of ‘voting’: bonfire sites,
meeting points, sports facilities, playgrounds, gardens
and shelters. These grass root designed territorial fea-
tures can be understood as personal links between
a user and a landscape, evidence that other people (or
a community) consider it their home area. Territorial
marks differ in different places (Bell et al. ), de-
noting a sense of place and a level of development by
the community.
From this perspective the assumption can be made
that the gradual removal of UW from the cityscape re-
sults in a decrease in the quality of living and in the
diversity of public spaces, oen provoking protests of
their users (Fig. ). Is it because they are the only open
green spaces in their neighbourhood or because of their
specic conditions? Should UW be treated as a specic
substitute for the deciencies of designed green are-
as or as their necessary complement? To address these
questions examinations were made of the origins, spa-
tial context, current functions, and ocial plans of four
examples of UW and eight examples were discussed to
conrm the ndings.
ese ndings revealed the scheme of future scenarios
of wasteland development based on their functions and
values. Finally the framework propositions for the devel-
opment process itself were presented.
Methods and data sources
e research was conducted in two steps. In the rst
step a comparative assessment of selected UW was carried
out to examine how planning systems in Poland aect
UWin terms of their creation and usage. To select the most
representative case studies for the rst part of the present
research the following criteria were used:
− open, accessible areas;
− the immediate vicinity of inhabited areas;
− dierent stages of inhabitation (by observing territo-
rial marks);
− dierent assignment in the city’s spatial plan (local or
general spatial development plan);
− spaces located at two dierent urban scales and con-
texts: one is a major metropolis (Warsaw) that strug-
gles with a declining share of green spaces within the
city’s administrative borders, a rapid increase in pop-
ulation, and a strong urbanisation pressure in all the
‘urban gaps’. e second (Tarnów) is a typical sub-re-
gional centre with a stable and high share of green
spaces within the city’s administrative borders, de-
clining population and a much lower urbanisation
pressure.
Four case studies were chosen:
) Żoliborz old railway sidings (Warsaw);
)
an area near semi-detached and small multifamily
houses at old Fort Służew (Warsaw);
) the ruins of a never completed creamery (Tarnów);
) Kantoria post-brickyard pond (Tarnów).
In the second step, studies were made of examples of
already transformed wastelands in Europe in order to
discuss the results of the comparative assessment (from
the rst step) in terms of development scenarios. For
the selection of these examples the following criteria
were used:
. Continuation of form and function of the wasteland:
− designs representing an aesthetic and functional con-
tinuation of the form and function of the wasteland;
−
designs representing new forms and functions not con-
nected or partially connected to the wasteland.
. Public involvement in wasteland development:
−
spaces designed using participatory/bottom up
processes;
− paces designed using top down processes.
A total of examples were chosen which meet these
criteria:
)
Holzpark Klybeck-a . ha open air cultural centre
(Basel, Switzerland);
)
Prinzessinnengarten – a . ha community garden and
social activity centre (Berlin, Germany);
)
L’espai Germanetes – a . ha former wasteland and
nowadays community garden in a densely populated
district of Barcelona (Barcelona Spain);
)
Park am Gleisdreieck – a ha park (Berlin, Germany);
) Park Kozłowski – an ha park (Warsaw, Poland);
)
Praska Ścieżka Rowerowa – an . km long linear park
built along the right side of the River Vistula (Warsaw,
Poland);
) Park Centralny (Olsztyn, Poland);
)
Górka Kazurka (Kazurka Hill) a ha urban half-waste-
land with a high hill in the largest residential area of
multifamily blocks of ats in Warsaw located in the
Ursynów district (Warsaw, Poland).
e scheme of analyses that were made of the case
studies from both steps are described in Table .
46
Ryszard Nejman, Maciej Łepkowski, Anna Wilczyńska, Beata J. Gawryszewska
The right to wild. Green urban wasteland in the context of urban planning
Results12345
Selected results of the planned research are presented
in Table . e general ndings of the comparative as-
sessment of selected UW from Tarnow and Warsaw are
presented in the rst part of the table. e second part
of the table contains the results of the comparison of
possible development scenarios to enable comparisons
to be made of cases from both parts and .
The comparative assessment of selected urban wastelands
e specic results of the comparative assessment made
for selected UW in Warsaw and Tarnow are presented
below:
1. e research was conducted in autumn 2016 (September-Novem-
ber). Each place was examined, nding territoriality marks
2. Users encountered there were inter viewed (the method was
based on semi-structured freehand interviews)
3. in Polish: Studium Uwarunkowań i Kierunków Zagospodarowa-
nia Przestrzennego
4. in Polish: Miejscowy Plan Zagospodarowania Przestrzennego
5. in Polish: Krajowa Polityka Miejska (Ministerstwo Infrastruktu-
ry i Rozwoju 2015)
−
Origins and present-day condition of wastelands.
e comparative assessment of selected Polish UW
shows that creation of these spaces is connected with
the decline of urban industry in the late s and
s (case studies , & ) and to a lesser degree to
the absorption of rural areas in the city (case study
). Additionally, it can be noted that new develop-
ment contributes to the consolidation of wasteland.
Newly built fragments of the city have ignored the
wider spatial context as evident in Warsaw (case
study ). is location was quickly surrounded by
new housing areas without any specic idea of its
management. Several observations can be made
with regard to the current situation across the ar-
eas surveyed. Some have been actively transformed
by residents in a long-term process of occupation as
community parks (case study ), others with little
support from the city have successfully fullled the
function of semi-public recreation space (case study
). ese sites can become spaces of exploration and
adventure for youth (case study ) or can be dis-
covered by new inhabitants as a semi-public, green
T
Scheme of the research procedure
Source: own study
What do we study? How? Why?
Step 1. The comparative assessment of selected urban wastelands
Their origin and present-day
situation
Historical analysis;
Field iventory1
To study how the urban wasteland
has appeared
To investigate the present character
of the place
Relations with surroundings
Measuring the distance from the nearest
housing area;
Examining the time accessibility (walking
time isochrone) and types of green areas
located in a 5 min. isochrone from the
surrounding housing area (WHO 2017)
To nd how the use of urban wasteland is
connected with their time accessibility from
the nearest housing area
To nd whether the phenomenon of using
urban wastelands is a result of a lack of
other accessible green areas
Functions
and values of urban wastelands
for its users
Inventory of territorial marks;
Qualitative semi-structured interviews2 ;
Analysis of online forums
To examine how the urban wastelands look
now, and if they are used by locals
To examine if and why the urban
wastelands are important to the users
Planned future of case studies
Investigation of the general3 and local4
spatial development plans;
Review of the National Urban Policy5
document
To predict the most probable future for
these spaces
Step 2. The discussion of development scenarios
The algorithm of creation
Qualitative interviews;
In situ inventory;
Literature review
To learn how the design process was carried
out, who was involved and at what stage of
the process
Change of function
Qualitative interviews;
In situ inventory;
Literature review
To learn how the project inuenced any
change of function of the wasteland
Design continuation
Qualitative interviews;
In situ inventory;
Literature review
To learn if and what features/characteristics
of the wasteland were considered in the
new design
47
Ryszard Nejman, Maciej Łepkowski, Anna Wilczyńska, Beata J. Gawryszewska
The right to wild. Green urban wasteland in the context of urban planning
meeting points (case study ). In summary the UWs investigated are subject to informal
use in various degrees and forms.
−Relation with surroundings – Considering their relations with their surroundings, it was
observed that despite being direc tly adjacent to a wide range of ocial, used, easily accessible
and open green areas within a min. walk ing distance isochrone from neighbouring housing
areas (case studies ,,), UW areas are still being used. is implies that the motivations for
residents’ use of UW is not only a simple lack of green areas but also other benets. Distances
measured from case studies to the nearest housing areas are within the range of m (case
) to m (case study ).
−Functions and values of urban wastelands for their users. In order to determine the value
for users, territoria l marks were inventoried and users of the UW were interviewed. Dirt paths
and garbage were observed in al l the cases investigated which is a clear sign of the presence of
users. Other territorial marks give more specic indicators of UW usage. In case studies ,
and dierent meeting points were observed such as re places with self-made ‘proto-furni-
ture’ (Fig. ). In case study there were also the usual outdoor furniture (eg. benches, tables)
as well as ornamental plants, compost bins and bird houses. In case studies , and there
were also grati paintings. Combining these results with interviews supports the statement
that the basic functions of the UW studied are recreational (, and ), gardening (case study
), partying (case study , , ), art (broadly understood as individual expression) (case studies
, and ) and exploration (case study ). Case study is also an example of the determina-
tion of UW users to preserve a place they value. ese users showed great resistance to the
action of top down investment: developer planned transformation in agreement with the city
government (local residents were protesting against conversion of the area they had adapted
into a typically designed park).
−Plans for the future. Future plans for the case studies show wide variation. According to the
general spatial development plan case study would be (and currently is) transformed into
a housing estate which includes a park in the design, case study is planned to be built upon
(industrial uses). Case study features on the general spatial development plan as a part of
a housing estate however following the initiative of local residents and in mutual coopera-
tion, the city government plans to create a linear park instead. Case study is the only one
that is included in t he local spatial development plan and it is planned to be transformed into
a semi-designed green recreation area.
F
Fort Służew
(Warsaw, Poland)
residential area
– informal park ar-
ranged by residents
(case study 1)
Author: photo by
Maciej Łepkowski
48
Ryszard Nejman, Maciej Łepkowski, Anna Wilczyńska, Beata J. Gawryszewska
The right to wild. Green urban wasteland in the context of urban planning
e comparative assessment of selected UW from
Warsaw and Tarnow shows that spontaneous and slow-
ly developing spaces have progressed to dierent stages
of creation: from spaces of exploration and adventure
(Creamery), through simple ‘green paths’ (Żoliborz
old railway siding), meeting points (Kantoria pond), to
a community park furnished with facilities (Fort Służew).
Notably, three of these spaces are located close to other
easily accessible green areas such as parks, squares or for-
ests and still have active users. is shows that the phe-
nomenon of the UWs’ ‘popularity’ among residents of the
neighbourhood may not be always the result of a lack of
green spaces but may arise from the exceptional values
and informal character identied by local residents in
the interviews conducted. From the on-site perspective it
was observed that a lack of ocial control brings out the
creativity of inhabitants who take part in the creation of
a new cultural landscape according to their own needs,
tastes and possibilities. An interesting case is the Żoliborz
old railway siding where local residents insisted on the
transformation of the area into a linear park. In this area
the accessibility of other green areas is the lowest amongst
the case studies analysed. is could indicate that typically
designed parks stand higher on the pyramid of needs. It is
also possible that this is only a compromise reecting the
resident’s need for a guarantee to keep the green area ‘safe’
from the development of new buildings or fences across it.
Discussion
It is well understood that inhabitants feel more attached to
places and develop a sense of belonging as a result of their
participation in the creation of their landscapes (Noori et
al. : ). Urban wastelands are spaces where this kind
of attitude can be practised on a very basic and tactical lev-
el. According to ideas of everyday urbanism by J. L. Chase,
M. Crawford and J. Kalisky () contemporary urban
communities start to ght against the anonymity of public
spaces, introducing territorial markers into them, creating
an identity of place. A local community can build rela-
tionships and togetherness based on the physical space
(Gawryszewska et al. : –) as in the Fort Służew
case study. Consequently, it is an important step towards the
right to the city (Harvey ) movement, understood as the
right to transform the reality in which we live. In a society
of increasing control, undetermined UW seem to have the
potential to be perceived as places where new alternatives
for city spaces may arise (Rupprecht & Byrne : –).
From the spatial management point of view, common
praxis for dealing with UW in Poland is selling or giving
the land to a private owner, who develops it into a built-
up area. is trend is also reected in the newly creat-
ed National Urban Policy (Ministerstwo Infrastruktury
i Rozwoju ) that suggests the need to “return” UW to
the city by investments or by transforming it into parks
or housing estates. Simultaneously, in the context of ur-
ban wilderness (Kowarik ; Tredici ), features
such as creativity and informality of UW are becoming
more and more important for inhabitants (Trzaskowska
: –). Dierent perspective and value systems are
oen the cause of disagreement and friction between
the dierent stakeholders: inhabitants (and other users),
developers, and municipalities. In consequence of that,
the inhabitants must oen face this problem alone (as in
the case of Fort Służew). City authorities do not support
them, so in a longer term perspective this may result in
increased passivity of the inhabitants.However, there is
a possible way to protect the va lue of UW: Article of the
Polish Act on Planning and Spatial Development (Ustawa
z dnia marca o planowaniu i zagospodarowa-
niu przestrzennym). It states that the General Spatial
Development Plan (Studium Uwarunkowań i Kieru nków
Zagospodarowania Przestrzennego – SUiKZP) should
not only include the present land use and the cultural
landscape but a lso provide good, healthy living conditions
for local residents. is may be provided by green UW.
How should the process of development look?
Based on the results of the comparison of development
scenarios, the future of UW could be dierent. Taking
into consideration the present results when planning
and designing the development process, it is important
to remember that an area, which has ocially remained
unused for many years has spontaneously generated its
own social and natura l values (Gawryszewska et al. :
–; Łepkowski et al. : –). is should be
taken into consideration at dierent levels of planning,
from the SUiKZP down to the nal design of the area.
In addition to the analysis of the form, functions and
existing values of urban wastelands, the preferences of
users should be examined. Preferences can be a comple-
mentary indicator for the future development possibili-
ties. In the initial study in Warsaw the results suggested
that inhabitants prefer places which are semi-designed
(Łepkowski et al. :–). is means that they pre-
serve the ‘wilderness’ of the space to a certain extent, but
there are still paths, benches and some facilities, which
may allow a more comfortable use of the space. Some
studies ind icate that even sma ll adaptations may increase
the number of users and their gender bala nce (Unt & Bell
: –). e cited authors show that bringing some
simple changing rooms to an abandoned beach i n Tallinn
has signicantly inuenced its use by, for example, wom-
en. It seems that a balance has to be found bet ween place
identity, the place attachment of the inhabitants, f reedom
49
Ryszard Nejman, Maciej Łepkowski, Anna Wilczyńska, Beata J. Gawryszewska
The right to wild. Green urban wasteland in the context of urban planning
of use, aesthetical preferences and some improvements
to functional facilities. However, some questions still
remain, for example how intensive should external in-
terference be and how this interference supports ex isting
processes? Is there a best way of intervention or not? To
what extent and how should this intervention proceed?
To discuss these questions from dierent perspec-
tives studies have been carried out comparing dierent
scenarios of UW development. ree approaches can be
distinguished:
.
organised, but not ocially supported, and someti mes
even illegal occupation and slow development of the
space, leading to its acceptance by the authorities;
.
cooperation between municipalities and their inhabi-
tants in the form of a long process of support, consul-
tation and participation;
.
top-down design of the space, initiated by municipal-
ities, without, or with minor inuence of the inhabi-
tants, or changed aer public protests.
Organised, but not of cially supported, sometimes even illegal
occupation and slow development of the space, leading to its
acceptance by the authorities
In this case UW have been developed by informal in-
itiatives over many years, without any regulation or
agreements with the municipality. With time these
initiatives start to show dierent or alternative ways
of creating public space and become more and more
popular among the inhabitants. Consequently, they
also start to be visible to the authorities and can be
‘tolerated’ or sometimes even supported. is situa-
tion was present in the case of the community garden
Prinzessinnengarten in Berlin (Example no. ), as well
as the community meeting place L’espai Germanetes
in Barcelona (Example no. ). In Holzpark Klybeck
(Example no. ) creation of an alternative space was an
ocial strategy of the authorities in cooperation with
urban activists. In other examples the resistance of the
inhabitants against demolition and persistent action
on the bottom-up development of the space has inu-
enced and changed the mindset of the authorities. Am
Gleisdreieck (Example no. ) exemplies this situation.
is park shows how informal, well-organised initia-
tives had the power to not only activate and manage
the abandoned space, but also to be a starting point for
a complex public participation process and the ocial
design competition as described below.
Cooperation between municipalities and inhabitants in the form
of a long process of support, consultation an d participation
is form of development of space is one of the most
popular and probably eective processes of public
involvement based upon long, complicated design work,
and activating all users and decision makers. e main
example for the development of urban wastelands in this
way is Park am Gleisdreieck (Example no. ) opened in
in Berlin. is place has passed through all the phas-
es: from informal use, through informal activation and
design of the space, a formal and complex participatory
process (including workshops, questionnaires and consul-
tations) culminating in a professional design competition,
won by Atelier Loidl (Burgess ). What is important
and worth mentioning is how this example presents not
only a classical urban park, but a design based on the
previous, spontaneously formed function and aesthetics
of the space, which may be observed in the present form
and functions of the park. is is visible in the connec-
tion of dierent elements: the modern skate park or play-
ground, the green eld for picnicking or playing games
and a woodland developed through natural succession
(Geiger & Hennecke ).
Top down design of the space, initiated by municipalities, with-
out or with minor in uence of the inhabitant s, or changed after
public protests
Example no. , the Kazurka hill is a case where dierent
approaches are mixed together. In this location we can ob-
serve spaces developed by informal bottom-up creation
(bike track, informal houses for homeless people) combined
with elements such as the open-air gym or playground for
dogs designed in a top down way (from the participatory
budget) with further elements designed without any con-
sultation with the users. Some years ago, the municipality
began to design the development of this area in a top-down
way by hiring a professional architect. e inuence of the
users was minor, with the only public consultation con-
ducted being in the form of a debate. Some of the grassroots
initiatives, such as the bike track, were treated as valuable
by the architects and taken into consideration in the plan-
ning of the area. Other aspects were not. For example, the
landscape design of the greenery had no local reference to
the existing character, exchanging ruderal for ornamental
plants. In the case of Kazurka, the design never reached
implementation, and at the time of writing, further dis-
cussions about the future of this area are still being carried
out. In Olsztyn (Example no. ) the spontaneously and
informally developed public park was designed without any
public consultation, completely changing the character and
functions of the area. Another tting example of a top-down
design is Park Kozłowski (Example no. ) in Warsaw. Here,
aer the presentation of the design project, inhabitants
gathered and protested against the demolition of the old,
abandoned allotment gardens. eir key argument was the
importance of this place for wild animals living in the park.
50
Ryszard Nejman, Maciej Łepkowski, Anna Wilczyńska, Beata J. Gawryszewska
The right to wild. Green urban wasteland in the context of urban planning
T
Case studies and examples of a comparison of the places discussed
Source: own study
Note: the number of semi-structured interviews with users is shown in the brackets
No Place/
Location
Technique of
research
Distance
from
housing
areas /
Other
accessible
green areas
Territorial marks Functions based on
territorial marks
Spatial development
plan function / Future of
the area
1
Case studies
Ruins of
Creamery
/ Tarnów,
Poland
Inventory
of territorial
marks,
qualitative
semi-
structured
interviews (3
for Tarnów, 4
for Warsaw
cases),
analysis of
online forums
300 m /
forests,
wasteland
areas
Dirt paths,
grafti, litter after
eating
Area of adventure Industrial investment
area / industrial area
2
Żoliborz
old railway
siding /
Warsaw,
Poland
50 m /
parks,
squares
(poor
access),
another
green
wasteland
Dirt paths,
meeting points,
bonre remains
Semi-public green
corridor and meeting
point
Residential area /
bottom-up initiative
to create a linear park,
approved by authorities
3
Fort Służew
housing
estate /
Warsaw,
Poland
50 m /
parks,
squares,
natural
reserve,
wasteland
Ornamental
plants, garden
furniture, dirt
paths
Community park
Landscaped greenery
/ estate of multifamily
housing units with
landscaped green areas
4
Kantoria
post
brickyard
pond /
Tarnów,
Poland
100 m
/ parks,
wasteland
areas, green
sport and
recreation
areas
Dirt paths, shing
pier, replace,
grafti, meeting
points, litter after
eating
Semi-public
recreation space
Green recreation area /
Semi-designed park
No
Examples of discussed transformed places1
Place/
Location
Technique of
research
Distance
from
housing
areas /
Other
accessible
green areas
Algorithm of
creation Change of function Design continuation
5
Holzpark-
Klybeck /
Basel,
Switzerland
In Situ
inventory
literature
review
(HolzparkKly-
beck)
80 m /
parks, sports
& recreation
areas, (very
dense
urbanisation)
Long-term
transformation.
Informal
and direct
construction done
by users and
designers with
city support
Before: port area
Now: cultural centre
The appearance of the
site refers to the former
character of the space
with the use of old
port containers in the
architecture.
Recycled architecture
style, edible plants,
ruderal plants
6
Prinzessin-
nengarten /
Berlin,
Germany
qualitative
semi-
structured
interviews (3),
inventory/
literature
review
(Burgess 2014)
50 m /
parks,
squares,
sports &
recreation
areas
NGO protected
the land from
sale. They have
created a garden,
but its future is
still insecure
Before: abandoned
square
Now: social activity
centre
Future: it was
supposed to be sold
to a private investor
Ruderal plants refer to
the former wasteland
greenery.
Recycled architecture
style, edible plants
7
L’espai
Germanetes
/ Barcelona
Spain
In situ
inventory/
literature
review
(Espai
Germanetes)
50 m / park,
squares
(very dense
urbanisa-
tion, low
accessibility
of green
areas)
A neighbourhood
association
took part in
the municipal
competition for
the temporary
renewal of
unused spaces
through cultural
activities
Before: abandoned
construction eld
after demolition of a
cloister
Now: community
garden and meeting
place
Future: a day care
centre and public
building for the
neighbourhood
Recycled architecture
style, edible plants
51
Ryszard Nejman, Maciej Łepkowski, Anna Wilczyńska, Beata J. Gawryszewska
The right to wild. Green urban wasteland in the context of urban planning
No Place/
Location
Technique of
research
Distance
from
housing
areas /
Other
accessible
green areas
Territorial marks Functions based on
territorial marks
Spatial development
plan function / Future of
the area
8
Examples of discussed transformed places1
Park am
Gleisdreieck
/ Berlin,
Germany
in situ
inventory
literature
review
(Geiger &
Hennecke
2015)
100 m
/ parks,
squares,
urban
wastelands,
sports &
recreation
areas
Informal use
of the space
– recreation
and gardening.
A public
involvement
process began
and a design
competition was
carried out based
on the results
of the public
participation
Before: railway
wasteland abandoned
sinceWW2.
Now: according to
the city initiative and
plans it is going to be
used as a park
Industrial style of
architecture and ruderal
plants refers to the
history of the place and
its character. Modern
benches, playgrounds
and facilities to develop
new function
9
Park
Kozłowski
/ Warsaw,
Poland
qualitative
semi-
structured
interviews
(4), in situ
inventory
50 m /
parks,
squares,
sport &
recreation
areas, urban
wastelands
Design produced
after the
inhabitants
protested about a
“regular park”
Before: Abandoned
allotment gardens
Now: semi-natural
“allotment park”
The remaining
abandoned allotment
gardens keep the
character of the place.
Modern benches,
playground facilities to
enhance its function
10
Praska
Ścieżka
Rowerowa
/ Warsaw,
Poland
in situ
inventory,
literature
review
(Gawryszewska
2016b)
100–200
m / parks,
urban
wasteland
areas
Top-down design
by specialists,
according to
observations of
use
Before: natural
woodland
Now: naturalistic
bicycle path
Wooden benches and
water permeable surface
of paths keep the
character of the place
11
Park
Centralny
/ Olsztyn,
Poland
in situ
inventory
100 m
/ parks,
squares,
urban
wasteland
Top-down design
by specialists,
without public
consultation
Before: abandoned
land in the city
centre.
Now: public park
Modern facilities,
concrete pavements and
ornamental greenery
do not refer to the
wasteland character
12
Górka
Kazurka /
Ursynów,
Warsaw,
Poland
qualitative
semi-
structured
interviews (4),
in situ
inventory,
literature
review
(Łepkowski et
al. 2016)
150 m
/ park,
squares,
urban
wasteland
areas, forest
Top-down design
by specialists,
without public
consultation, later
rejected
Before: abandoned
piece of land along
the Kabacki urban
forest
Now: partial
wasteland, parking
and places organised
using Warsaw’s
participatory budget
Future: public park
and museum
Plants are ornamental,
covering existing
greenery.
Thanks to bottom-up
initiatives, public budget
and sponsors it is being
used as an extreme
biking track
is concluded with the gardens being included in the pro-
ject and they remain on site, with only a few benches and
a path being constructed there. Currently it is utilised as
a place for animals and people to hide during a hot summer.
e nal example – Praska Ścieżka Rowerowa (Example no.
) demonstrates how consideration of the area’s natural val-
ues, combined with careful observations of user activities,
can result in a design which doesn’t inuence or change the
existing character and functions. is can be appreciated,
even if it is taking a top-down approach.
Conclusions. The wasteland toolkit
UW are an important and complementary part of open
spaces. e present results show that the use of UW is
not caused by lack of green spaces, but because of the
specic character of wastelands. Informal, ‘untidy’ types
of greenery leave an open avenue for the inhabitants to
explore (Kowarik : –) and create their everyday
landscape (Prominski : –). erefore, the design
approach to the creation of UW should always take into
consideration the fact that the most important value of
these areas, which dierentiates them from other, more
heavily designed public spaces, is freedom of use for all ac-
tors both human and non-human. Every approach should
be a combination of bottom-up and grassroots processes
of space creation, supported by the local municipality. It
may vary from commonly used urban planning practices,
but this is possible under the Polish spatial law regulations.
is obviously extends the entirety of the decision-making
process (additional consultations, participatory process-
es and analyses before starting the ocial procedure of
creating a spatial plan).
52
Ryszard Nejman, Maciej Łepkowski, Anna Wilczyńska, Beata J. Gawryszewska
The right to wild. Green urban wasteland in the context of urban planning
e wastelands toolkit could assist in the conscious
development of these landscapes based on the values de-
scribed, the strategies for and scenarios of development.
Urban planners and decision makers should consider
these steps:
.
Recognition of the urban wasteland’s present charac-
ter stage of occupation and potential for development.
Recognition of t he needs of user s and dierent stakehold-
ers – by interv iews and an inventory of territoria l marks.
.
Aer the needs have been mapped, dierent scenarios
may be followed:
a.
Green, informal and resilient areas should be le
with basic infrastructure as a type of ‘green oasis’
for the improvement of the local ecosystem. It may
require only basic development to allow the protec-
tion and comfortable exploration of nature.
b.
Where there is already an existing community centre
or potential for developing the urban wasteland in
this direction, methods of ‘open design’ (Prominski
) or tactical urbanism (Lydon & Garcia )
should be introduced. Locations with the potential
to become local community centres may require
activation processes to develop bottom-up initia-
tives. Retention or establishment of open space is
important for spontaneous creation. Design should
be a long, ongoing process. Locations which already
function as community centres only require legal
and nancial support.
If we talk about ‘the right to the city framework’, the rst
step towards it is participation in the creation of the city, as
part of the decision-making and planning process (Foster
). Preserving and developing UW based upon the
socially and ecologically responsible solutions suggested
in this paper encourages inhabitants in landscape creation
and gives feedback information for urban planners as to
what kind of development is really needed. Sometimes
free and spontaneous activities have a chance to devel-
op into real, bottom-up community centres, providing
cultural and ecological services. Some of the examples
presented above show that this way of thinking about
spatial management is not only possible, but can make
the city more liveable.
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