Malgorzata TOMCZAK
Architecture and housing policy
In Poland, we have a big problem with the entire housing sector. On the one hand, there is a shortage of affordable and accessible housing, on the other hand, development projects are being built in large numbers - as of the end of June 2022, 109,400 apartments had been completed and 881,600 were under construction. However, their architectural and urban planning quality is often unsatisfactory.
As Joanna Erbel and Zuzanna Mielczarek argue in an interview with Alicja Gzowska, housing policy in Poland does exist. Local governments have the tools and opportunities to finance the construction of new accessible housing, but they do not apply them on a scale appropriate to the needs. "Housing a right, not a commodity" is still an empty slogan.
Housing in Poland is built mainly by developers. With what results, more often than not? We can see, driving around Polish cities. In the Moodboard section we present well-known and high-profile housing projects of recent years, with apartment floor plans, worth a look. We also ask about the Scandinavian model - how to influence the quality of built housing? How to shape high-value spaces in the city? So all in all, we know how to do it, only that it's mostly in theory. And the reality is moving toward the dystopian visions of the craziest modernists.
