From today's perspective, the liberal development plans in the Young City are archaic. But somehow they helped to get the transformation process moving. At that time there was a different concept, we were talking about the central business district of Gdansk. It's a completely different structure than the sustainable, multifunctional space we are planning today," says Prof. Piotr Lorens, Architect of the City of Gdansk about the post-shipyard areas in Gdansk.
Prof. Piotr Lorens—Architect of the City of Gdansk, head of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Gdansk University of Technology. His main research activity is the restoration of degraded parts of cities. In 2001, he defended his doctoral dissertation on the revitalization of water fronts of port cities. After receiving his postdoctoral degree, he became head of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at PG's Faculty of Architecture. In 2016, he was awarded the title of professor. He served as president of the Board of Directors of the Society of Polish Urban Planners.
with Prof. Piotr Lorens is interviewed by Ewa Karendys
Ewa Karendys: The investment impasse of the Young City is behind us?
Prof. Piotr Lorens: Yes and no. Investment processes are going on today from the outside to the inside of the Young City. While south of Popieluszko Street the vast majority of land is already developed, construction is underway, the north is not yet. The very center of the area: the areas of the Imperial Shipyard and the Drewnica Peninsula are still waiting for a consensus on the shape and character of new development.
The Tryton office building built in 2016 next to Solidarity Square
photo: Ewa Karendys
city wants a cohesive neighborhood
Ewa Karendys: It's no secret that the Pomeranian historic preservationist is seen as a brake on these investments.
Prof. Piotr Lorens: With the conservator, investors agree on their projects. Unfortunately, this process takes quite a long time, and some projects are not even considered by the conservator at all. And there is no progress in this regard. On the other hand, it is not appropriate for me personally to comment on these decisions.
Ewa Karendys: As much as 90 percent of the post-shipyard areas are in private hands. On top of that, in the Young City we have very liberal zoning plans, and the agreements are mainly issued by a conservator subordinate to the governor. What role remains for the city in shaping this space?
Prof. Piotr Lorens: First of all, we are discussing what the Young City is supposed to be nowadays. Because it has changed a lot. Back in the 1990s, we were planning a business district of Gdansk, today we are talking about a sustainable, inclusive district, somewhat along the lines of a 15-minute city. In 2021, we launched a consultation process that resulted in the report Young City—the future of the district. In it, we formulated general ideas about this part of the city. It is also the city's responsibility to discuss solutions for new roads, streets and public spaces. Thus,we have started a discussion on the target shape of Popieluszko Street and the tunnel under the Motlawa River, both in the form of workshops and dialogue with the local community and various entities operating in the Young City area. We are preparing design guidelines for areas that have not yet been developed. And there are still a lot of them. In addition, we are in ongoing discussions with investors and the conservator, because the nature of the planned investments does not always correspond to our ideas.
from left—the Żurawie investment under construction, the Eternum office building and the European Solidarity Center
© Euro Styl press mat.
Ewa Karendys: There are many concerns about the Young City. For example, that the new district will be a series of disconnected investments rather than a coherent space.
Prof. Piotr Lorens: That is why we are taking measures to make this space more coherent. In 2021, we reactivated the Young City and Polish Hook Stakeholder Council. This is a forum where we have a dialogue about the future of these areas. In addition, we have adopted that all major developments should be consulted with the Office of the City Architect. And thanks to this, we sometimes manage to stop ideas that we consider misguided.
Ewa Karendys: An example?
Prof. Piotr Lorens: After our intervention at Sienna Dyke, the investor changed the plantings and the shape of the greenery and the solutions for small architecture on the proposed boulevard. So these informal activities of ours are beginning to bear fruit, although, of course, for this there must also be the will of the investor.
Doki Living
© Euro Styl press mat.
Problems of the Young City
Ewa Karendys: Another problem is that you will have to pay heavily for an apartment in the Young City. From 15 thousand to 20 thousand zlotys—that's how much a square meter costs in the Doki development. Aren't you worried that Młode Miasto will be a luxury district?
Prof. Piotr Lorens: Gentrification of this area will be one of the biggest problems of the functioning of the Young City. It would be worthwhile to ensure that a certain pool of more accessible housing will appear within these developments. But in the current legal realities, as a municipality we have no room to maneuver. What can be done, however, is to secure city lots, although there are few of them, on which more accessible housing developments could potentially be built. It remains to be considered in what formula.
Part of the Doki development is Montownia, a historic building housing lofts
© Euro Styl press mat.
Ewa Karendys: Another risk is short-term rentals. Or more precisely, its effects, i.e. the fact that the district in large part may not have permanent residents. At the same time, it can be expected that investments in post-shipyard areas will be a glutton for the private rental sector (PRS).
Prof. Piotr Lorens: Unfortunately, there is no regulation of short-term rentals in Poland. A completely liberal market reigns, with all its consequences and detriments for residents. Meanwhile, it is difficult to live in an apartment where every now and then we have a new neighbor. And it is often the case that one is more entertaining than the other. On the other hand, while short-term renting is definitely a problem, long-term renting can have positive effects in the city space. Housing becomes available to different groups, which helps enrich the area's social diversity. At the same time, short-term renting is reduced. It also encourages the development of services aimed at the resident, not just the tourist. We can see this in the Youniq development on Robotnicza Street, where micro-apartments for rent for young people have been created.
this is how the Doki investment is ultimately to look like
© Euro Styl press mat.
Ewa Karendys: One of the most criticized projects in the Young Town: Bastion Walowa grew in the space of Gdansk, because it was allowed by the liberal development plan, which does not limit height. When you became Architect of Gdansk, you talked about the need to change these plans.
Prof. Piotr Lorens: The first change is already underway, although I was not the initiator of it. On Jana z Kolna Street, in the area of the office investments of Cavatina and Inopa, we are trying to change the provisions of the plan so that the space has a more urban character. Work is also underway on a plan at the intersection of Walowa and Rybaki Górne streets. It is possible that the results of the planned study competition for the development of Solidarity Square will also be used to change the plan. It can be expected that there will be more such areas. On the other hand, I don't think we will see a comprehensive change in the planning policy of the Young City. If only because of time, because the process of enacting a new plan is min. 2-3 years.
Ewa Karendys: But you will admit that the plans that gave a free hand to investors were a mistake?
Prof. Piotr Lorens: These plans are a product of different times. Let's remember that in 2004, when they were passed, hardly anyone thought of the industrial development of the Gdansk Shipyard as a valuable legacy. Yes, from today's perspective these plans are archaic. But somehow they helped get the transformation process moving. At that time there was a different concept, we were talking about a central business district of Gdansk. It's a completely different structure than the sustainable, multifunctional space we are planning today. At the moment, we have a greater sensitivity to the qualities of this space, as exemplified by the application for the area to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Gate No. 2 of the Gdansk Shipyard
photo: Ewa Karendys
Gdansk Shipyard on the UNESCO list?
Ewa Karendys: It's just that it's still unclear whether this entry will come to fruition.
Prof. Piotr Lorens: The application for entry on the UNESCO list was submitted in 2020. After the controversial opinion of the International Council for the Preservation of Monuments and Historic Sites (ICOMOS), the case was suspended at a session of the World Heritage Committee in China. This was a big surprise, as the procedure does not provide for the suspension of the application. Last year, the session did not take place due to the war in Ukraine. The next one is scheduled for this fall in Saudi Arabia. We assume that the case will settle, because the state of suspension is the worst possible solution for us. Actually, we don't know where we stand.
Ewa Karendys: The inclusion of the site on the UNESCO list would hit investments?
Prof. Piotr Lorens: The effects could be very negative. Because the part on the north side of Popieluszko Street, which has the best chance of being inscribed, could become, in a sense, an open-air museum. The question is what the costs of this will be and who will pay compensation to the investors. I prefer not to think about it. The second issue: on the south side 10-story buildings are sprouting up in the Crane and Doki developments. So we are dealing with a kind of split. Two years ago, when the application was submitted, there were empty lots here, today a wall of very intensive development is being built. In addition, the application involved the need to prepare a so-called management plan. It was preliminarily drafted by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, but requires substantial additions, and above all, agreement with stakeholders. And this is an arduous process, which for the time being the initiator of the entry—that is, the Ministry—has not undertaken.
Ewa Karendys: What is the problem?
Prof. Piotr Lorens: The management plan specifies the actions to be taken to protect the heritage. The trouble is that on private land it's a completely different discussion than in the case of municipal or state-owned land, because we are dealing with more or less justified expectations of investors who want to carry out their investments, in accordance with the local plan. It may turn out that there will be a dispute between the investor and the ministry or the municipality—today it is difficult to say who will be a party. I think it would be more fair for the ministry to put the matter this way: if we want to protect the shipyard with a UNESCO inscription, we should buy up the land for appropriate compensation and then implement our own policies on it.
C300 Office building under construction along Jana z Kolna Street
photo: Ewa Karendys
investment boom
Ewa Karendys: Meanwhile, more investments are appearing in the city's landscape: Doki, Crane, and office buildings along Jana z Kolna: Palio Office Park and C300 Office. In your opinion, is this architecture worthy of the Young City?
Prof. Piotr Lorens: I assess the office buildings that have sprung up on Jana z Kolna quite positively. There is an ongoing discussion about the next phases. It seems that it could be very interesting architecture. The cranes are difficult to assess, as only the first piece of this development is being built. On the other hand, based on the visuals, I believe it will be an interesting project. As for the Docks, I am disappointed by the overwhelming massiveness and scale of these buildings.
Ewa Karendys: Disappointed?
Prof. Piotr Lorens: I think the Brabank development, located on the Motława River, looks better. It's more sprawling. Although it is good that the Docks will feature attractive public spaces and first floor services. In addition, the second stage of the Nadmotlawie development is surprisingly well shaped urbanistically, although the first stage was considered quite controversial—both due to its scale, low building height, the rather surprising way of shaping the development on the plot, mimicking its curved shape, and finally—the somewhat depressing color scheme. The second stage, on the other hand, seems to be devoid of these flaws, and the solutions adopted on the water side—that is, the par-level terrace, building both frontage on the Sienna Dyke side and giving the apartments located in the depths a view of the water—are interesting.
Ewa Karendys: Staying with investments, we see a stalemate situation in the Imperial Shipyard, where the investor cannot agree with the conservator. Should the master plan prepared by the Henning Larsen studio in 2016, assuming, among other things, 100-meter buildings, be implemented?
Prof. Piotr Lorens: No. This project is a product of different times and we should strive to change it.
Ewa Karendys: Then how high should we build on the Imperial Shipyard site?
Prof.Piotr Lorens: This is not even about height. It's about an overconfidence in the possibility of realizing New York-style development on the site of the Young City. I think this is not quite the place or the solution.
Ewa Karendys: Too dense and too intense?
Prof. Piotr Lorens: That is correct. I would like to point out that I am not against high rise buildings. Here we differ strongly with the conservationist. I just think that in the area of the former docking basin there is absolutely room for a tall building. The question is whether one or six. I dare say rather one. The revised design by the Henning Larsen studio has already gone in this direction, but the whole thing needs to be reconsidered.
Ewa Karendys: The investment boom is also to be followed by changes in public spaces. The city plans to announce a study urban-architectural competition for the areas around Solidarity Square and the Monument to Fallen Shipyard Workers.
Prof. Piotr Lorens: Solidarity Square was designed as a place at the interface between the city and the shipyard. Of course, one can discuss to what extent the shipyard was an urban space, but the fact is that until the collapse of the Gdansk Shipyard, for the average resident, it was a closed area. This square, a memorial to the fallen shipyard workers, in spatial terms was the edge of a functioning city. In contrast, today it is becoming the central square of a new neighborhood. The European Solidarity Center, the Cranes, the Docks, the completed Tryton office building—these investments will eventually surround the square on all sides. This calls for a rethinking of the place. But there is also a strictly architectural justification: the square was realized in 1981. Its elements have worn out a lot, the square has been overgrown with new elements of small architecture—flower pots, benches, flagpoles. All this has a rather haphazard character today.
Ewa Karendys: Solidarity Square is in for a revolution?
Prof. Piotr Lorens: There can be no revolution, because Solidarity Square is a monument. We're talking about revaluation and putting it in order. On the other hand, bigger changes may take place in the surroundings—in the areas between the square and the new buildings.
Palio Office Park, new office buildings along Jana z Kolna Street
photo: Ewa Karendys
New Walowa Street
Ewa Karendys: Recent years, fortunately, have changed attitudes toward transportation in the city. Residents are more often demanding urban streets, built on a human scale. Meanwhile, the planned Nowa Walowa artery continues to raise concerns. Its first completed stage—Popieluszko Street—cut the shipyard area in half and made life difficult for pedestrians.
Prof. Piotr Lorens: The current shape of the establishment of Popieluszko Street—that is, the first stage of the so-called Nowa Walowa—is the result of only a partial realization of the connection of the Young City and the Oliwa Gate area, devoid of many elements typical of any urban street. Currently, due to the progressive development of the post-shipyard areas, it requires transformation. We want to reduce the number of lanes and turns as much as possible, so that the space is friendly, green, with facilities for pedestrians. Where possible we will create public spaces. The second issue is torun a streetcar in the middle of the street, which will definitely improve the accessibility and urbanity of this space. I emphasize that we are planning an urban street, not a transportation artery.
Ewa Karendys: „We are dealing with the stubborn realization of the idea of a transportation superstructure, just like after the war, when two carriageways each were built with a streetcar in the middle.” These are the words of Prof. Jacek Dominiczak, an architect and urban planner, who proposes that streetcars should run along Narzędziowców Street. That is, where people will walk, and not in the middle of the increased car traffic of Nowa Walowa.
Prof. Piotr Lorens: This could have been discussed before the adoption of the local plan in 2004. Today it is impossible. We are happily in 2023, ongoing investments have firmly established the urban shape of this space. A streetcar in Narzędziowców Street would be quite a breakneck solution, moreover, because we would have to disperse the dock basin—just look at the map of the area. Besides, at the Gdansk University of Technology we conducted studies related to this area long before Prof. Jacek Dominiczak came up with his proposal. Through long discussions, the concept of the so-called Nowa Walowa as the main avenue integrating this space was solidified.
Ewa Karendys: In your opinion, rightly so?
Prof. Piotr Lorens: I don't think it is a wrong decision. On the other hand, perhaps it was wrong that the first realization in the form of Popieluszko Street had only a partial, and therefore in the public perception anti-urban character, hence the accusations that it is a city-cutting artery. At the same time, let's remember that this investment was created as a fulfillment of the requirement of the local plan, which assumed the construction of the first part of the traffic solution, conditioning the implementation of the first commercial investments. And the then owner of the land was responsible for its design and implementation. And this investment fulfilled its purpose. However, what we see at the moment is, as I mentioned, a temporary solution. Our goal—from the beginning of the design process of the Young City—is to develop New Walnut Street as the main public space of the area, parallel to the waterfront space. This is evidenced by various plans and studies, such as the first master plan of the entire area developed back in 2000. So if we want to take a fresh approach to shaping the street's space as, first and foremost, an urban public space, and build a tram line in the so-called „New Walled Street”, we'll be able to do so. Therefore, if we want to take a new approach to shaping the street space as primarily an urban public space and build a streetcar line in the so-called New Walled Street, the entire section of Popieluszko Street from Nowomiejska Street to Rybaki Górne will have to be rebuilt in order to run the line through its center.
Ewa Karendys: New Walowa, revalorization of Solidarity Square. There will be a steady increase in residents in the Young City, when will the need for these investments arise?
Prof. Piotr Lorens: She is already there. Especially since the pace of investment is fast, we have a great demand for housing in this part of the city. Every year there will be more residents. So, in my opinion, these investments should appear as soon as possible.
Ewa Karendys: Thank you for the interview.
