The topics of modernization of the railroad line between Krakow Główny and Ruda, the creation of new stations and what the land under the flyovers located in the city center will look like, continue to generate lively discussions. After a lot of wrangling - an international conceptual competition (in 2018), public consultations and participatory workshops, and finally a development proposal prepared by Kraków's Board of Urban Greenery (in 2020) - the PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe company will hand over to the city the land under the railroad flyovers under construction, and this means that a new Railway Park will soon be built in Kraków.
railroad playground
© Board of Urban Greenery in Krakow
As reported by local portal Life in Krakow, Mayor Majchrowski will sign an agreement today to lease the land under the flyover to the city - a section along Blich Street, the section between Kopernika and Grzegórzecka Streets.
In an interview with A&B summarizing the consultations with residents and stakeholders, Monika Arczynska of A2P2 architecture & planning, the studio that conducted a series of participatory design workshops to help identify key guidelines for the development of the area, stressed that the most important thing for the development of the area is precisely the agreement between the city and PKP on how to make available and manage the land under the flyover.
All indications are that an agreement has been reached. This is the first step. A finished project is also waiting - according to the concept prepared last year by the Board of Urban Greenery, a new public space will be created along Blich Street - playgrounds surrounded by greenery, a skate park, sports fields, gardens with small architecture, green gyms and a bicycle path connecting the city center with the Vistula Boulevards.
sensory garden
© Urban Greenery Management in Krakow
ZZM's project is to take into account the demands of residents gathered during public consultations. However, the sequence of actions and decisions taken and the lack of an architectural competition for the design of the development of such an important space for the city raise doubts in the whole process.
Krakow's Board of Urban Greenery also has a ready concept for the reconstruction of a further part of the city - Grzegórzeckie Square - a green connector between Dietla Street and Daszyńskiego Avenue, which, if it comes to fruition, will meet a section of the new Railway Park. The entire premise, not only because of its location and function as an important transportation hub, has a chance to become a green showcase of Krakow. This is a big opportunity for the city, will it be used?
Grzegórzec works, visualization; view toward the railroad viaduct
© Board of Urban Greenery in Krakow
