Not only traditional parks, squares or places for common activities, but also pocket squares and rain gardens have won recognition from the jury of the latest edition of the competition for the best developed public space in Wielkopolska. The Grand Prix was awarded for the revalorization of Radolinski Park in Jarocin.
The competition for the best public spaces in Wielkopolska organized by the Poznan branch of the Society of Polish Town Pl anners was held for the eleventh time. The Grand Prix, first, second and third prizes and three honorable mentions were awarded.
We are pleased by the increasing number of applications. This year we chose among 23 realizations, while a few years ago the proposals could be counted on the fingers of one hand," says Dr. Lukasz Mikula, president of the Wielkopolska branch of TUP and a Poznań councilman.
He stresses that the level of implementation, care for greenery and diverse forms of projects, such as pocket parks or a rain garden, are also getting higher.
Particularly noteworthy are examples from small towns, where carrying out such an investment at an appropriate level is often a much greater burden, adds Mikula.
The main trophy was awarded to the comprehensive measures in Jarocin's Radolinski Park (see the article's opening photo) - a large green complex located in the north of the city with a palace that once belonged to the park's patrons (due to the larger number of project authors, we include their names in the photo captions). As part of the revaluation, not only was the quality of the existing greenery and the functionality of the spatial establishment improved, but also a new amphitheater was built, which the jury appreciated for its form
light, modern, inviting and at the same time very well integrated into the context(...).
Recognition was also given to, among other things, "the enormous scale and adequacy of the new greenery plantings." Also appreciated was the abandonment of hardened surfaces, the inclusion of trees under monument protection and the apt use of the ruins of the Holy Spirit Church.
they chased away the cars
The first prize, however, went to Poznań for the implementation of the first stage of the program called "Ambush on the fyrtle" (fyrtel - in the Poznań dialect: district, neighborhood). As part of the project, three intimate spaces (ranging from 300 to 1,000 sq. m.) were changed. Degraded and turned into wild parking lots, parts of the Wilda district were transformed into pocket parks and squares equipped with benches and resting places. The jury, in appreciating such a move, stressed the following.
the introduction of greenery - trees, shrubs and perennials in compact downtown developments is a major challenge due to the existing underground infrastructure or existing uses of the developed spaces.
"Ambush the Fyrtle" - A program to create local squares in downtown Poznań (Stage I) - 1st prize
proj.: OAZA Zieleni Joanna Mrowinska; Poznan.
Second place went to the suburban town of Mosina for the "Glinianki Stop" project, i.e. the development of the surroundings of former clay pits near the Wielkopolska National Park by the observation tower erected here in 2013. The judges appreciated "timeless solutions" and respect for existing nature, as well as "creating a space that meets the needs of residents, not only of the Mosina municipality but of the entire region."
Glinianki stop in Mosina - 2nd Prize
Proj.: I. BROS Przedsiębiorstwo produkcyjno-handlowo-usługowe Piotr Porosa; II. Sunscaff sp. z o.o.; Bonikowo III. BRUKPOL spółka zo.o.; Piaski
commitment counts
The third award, meanwhile, went to the modest but much-needed initiative D-O-M (We Act-Odpoczywamy-Motivate) in Krotoszyn. In place of an ordinary lawn, an intimate square was created there with diverse greenery and resting places. A distinction recognized by the jury was also the social aspects: "integration and involvement of various groups of residents in the implementation of the project."
D-O-M Square - We Act - We Rest - We Motivate (Krotoszyn)
proj.: OGRODY GIDASZEWSKA PRACOWNIA ARCHITECTURY KRAJOBRAZU KAROLINA GIDASZEWSKA
Public involvement in the transformation process is becoming increasingly important, which the jury also takes into account when evaluating the submitted works, comments Dr. Mikula.
This social factor was also important in the case of one of the awards - for the revitalization of the old gasworks area in Krobi. Also honored were a green area with a rain garden in Leszno on January 17 Street, and - discussed earlier in the media - a square with a marketplace in Wielen (the "New City anew" project). Echoes of these discussions are present in the comments of the jury, which also presented objections to the awarded projects. In the case of Wielen, among other things, the "scale of the paving of the entire square" was called into question. In Leszno, on the other hand, the judges pointed out that "the use of lawns does not fully meet the expected requirements for the establishment of rain gardens."
