Perspective

Wiktor Bochenek

04 of May '23

classes of the School of Urban Gardeners in the Estate Garden on Siemaszki Street in Krakow; organized workshops, sowing vegetables or flowers unite communities around greenery

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The article is from A&B issue 03|23

One can look at nature and greenery by focusing on different scales. At the smallest it will be observing plants and animals with a microscope, then with a magnifying glass or macro lens, when you can see the details of insects or leaves very clearly. Moving away from the objects, we will see plants, first flowers, grasses, then shrubs, and finally trees. Then we can identify green areas: squares, parks, forests. At the largest scale—urban and planning—we see green areas that are connected into a larger system. Katarzyna Mikulska talks to Bogumiła Olkowska about the roles that greenery plays in cities, the challenges facing municipalities in connection with climate change and a broader view of green areas.

Bogumiła Olkowska—Master of Science in Environmental Protection at the Interdepartmental Studies in Environmental Protection at the University of Warsaw; engineer landscape architect (graduate of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences). She has several years of practical work experience in shaping green areas which are in the Warsaw municipality. Since 2005 she has been working for the government administration—with ministries responsible for spatial planning. She cooperated in the development of strategic documents such as the Concept for Spatial Development of the Country 2030, or both editions of the National Urban Policy. She participated in the development of draft legislation related to spatial planning (including the Law on Spatial Planning and Development, the Law on the Principles of Development Policy, the Landscape Law, the Regulation on the Preparation of Landscape Audits, etc.). Author of articles on the investment-construction process and legal protection of landscape values. She is currently associated with the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, where she deals, among other things, with the natural aspects of the aesthetics of public space. In her professional path she is based on the assumption of inseparability of people with nature.

Katarzyna Mikulska: What functions does greenery have in the city?

Bogumiła Olkowska: Greenery has very many functions, the first of which is the production of oxygen and absorption of carbon dioxide. Greenery cleans the air of chemical and dust pollutants. Green areas are important in the ventilation of the city, and also lower the temperature, reducing the urban heat island. Greenery also insulates acoustically, dampening noise. It mitigates the effects of wind, sudden, heavy rainfall, which is difficult for urban drainage systems to accommodate. Green areas retain water, and are therefore important in the city's overall water system, while also purifying these waters. Of course, they are themselves a potential and resource for biodiversity, both flora and fauna. So they are important not only for the city, but also for natural resources as such.

The properties I mentioned—leveling temperature extremes or protection from wind, shading—have measurable effects on properties located near urban greenery. Savings can be observed in the consumption of energy that is needed to heat or air condition buildings. Thanks to shading, and thus protection from UV radiation, greenery has a positive effect on the lifespan of certain materials, they do not wear out as quickly, do not decay.

Krakow's Main Square in a photograph from the 1930s; trees were an important part of its arrangement

Photo: Stanisław Mucha © Walery Rzewuski Museum of the History of Photography in Krakow

Katarzyna: Greenery also has a positive effect on increasing the value of real estate—those near green areas are often more attractive to buyers.

Bogumila: Of course, this is a factor that has long been known in real estate management: proximity to greenery or a view of greenery is important in this context. I would still like to mention health, recreational and aesthetic values. Our mental health is very much linked to the presence of greenery. This is due to evolution—as a species, we can't keep up with the pace of civilization and need contact with nature on a daily basis.

Catherine: So why do we still have excessive concreting of space in some cities?

Bogumila: There are certainly many reasons, as the problem is quite complex. We still need to strengthen the awareness of local authorities, decision-makers who launch such projects. It seems to me that in our consciousness it is still quite common to believe that solutions that involve filling spaces with concrete are cheaper, easier to maintain or more convenient. Of course, this is not quite the case, as benefits and savings can be achieved by also introducing greenery. I think there is still a need for education in this field and a change in attitude.

Recently, there have been publicized cases of markets, especially in smaller cities, which have been stripped of the remaining greenery and concreted over during revitalization. In the case of historic markets, whose revitalization projects are subject to agreement with the conservator, the matter is not clear-cut. A balance has to be struck between preserving historical values, which are protected, and modern requirements related to climate change. I'd like to point out that it's not quite the case that you can shield yourself from historical value and not allow greenery. The General Conservator of Monuments has issued recommendations, guidelines for provincial conservationists to base their decisions also on historical thought from the interwar period, when greenery began to be introduced into town squares and markets for health reasons. In this regard, it is also worth following the activities of the National Heritage Institute, which publishes information on standards of care for monuments. Hopefully, there will also be a document on how to take into account greenery in historic markets.

Catherine: What should we pay special attention to when planning and designing new green spaces in cities?

Bogumila: Because of my professional experience, I have a strategic perspective on this issue. When planning green space, we need to think about the scale of the entire city and more broadly, its external context. Local governments have the most important role to play in this regard, as they have the most instruments and the greatest authority to manage greenery holistically and to design with a view to creating systems: both internal networks linked to each other and external networks linked to greenery systems outside the city. Of course, any smaller activities in the city, so-called green acupuncture, such as creating pocket parks, planting individual trees, are also important. However, this I would leave to the initiative of NGOs, communities or residents. Long-term, strategic planning, on the other hand, belongs to local governments. Of course, it should be worked out in cooperation with residents—public participation should not be treated as a necessary evil, but listening to each other and working out joint satisfactory solutions.

The map of green places of Krakow shows a network of different types of green areas—from small pocket parks to forests, reserves or Natura 2000 areas

Katarzyna: What specific tools does the municipality have at its disposal for greenery management?

Bogumila: The most powerful instrument is political will and awareness. No regulations can force decision-makers to implement a given idea. And available tools can be used to realize a clear strategic thought. The municipality has various documents, more or less effective. There is the Strategy for Development of the Municipality. There is the Study of Conditions and Directions for Spatial Development, which has the weakness that it is not an act of local law, but it also has the advantage that it covers the entire administrative area and addresses many conflicting issues. For example, larger public spaces can be planned in it. The instrument that will actually reserve the selected area for green space is only the local plan. Unfortunately, its procedure is lengthy. With its various disadvantages, at the moment we do not have a better instrument that allows us to reserve a selected area for a specific development, change its designation or modify it. I would certainly encourage local governments to make an effort to develop plans, because otherwise we are left with the possibility of fragmenting green spaces through the use of zoning decisions. Then we hand over the shaping of the space we manage to haphazard investors, since individual decisions are in no way related to planned green space management.

Mowing lawns in the city—an illustration taken from the „Standards for the Maintenance of Green Areas in Cities” developed by Krakow and Wroclaw.—a document containing information on how to establish, care for and protect urban green areas

Katarzyna: The investor does not pay attention to the context, because he is only interested in the decision concerning his own, very specific fragment of space.

Bogumila: Such spotty actions do a lot of damage, because they can cut an important, continuous space. In the absence of a local plan, the possibility of introducing certain arrangements or requirements for the development of space is very limited. However, there is talk of introducing Municipal Climate Change Adaptation Plans into the legal circuit.

Shaping trees in the verge—an illustration taken from the „Standards for Maintenance of Green Areas in Cities” developed by Krakow and Wroclaw.—a document containing information on how to establish, care for and protect urban green areas

Katarzyna: What is it?

Bogumila: The law introducing Municipal Climate Change Adaptation Plans is still at the draft stage. Since green areas, water bodies or watercourses play an important role in climate change adaptation, they will be an important part of the plans. It would be a tool to coordinate various activities and documents so that cities can resist the negative effects of climate change. Such documents would be mandatory for cities with more than 20,000 residents. Municipal climate change adaptation plans were introduced on a pilot basis as part of a project that cities could join of their own accord. We are currently waiting for the appearance of the relevant regulations.

Weed Garden of Krakowians

Photo: © Archive of ZZM in Krakow

Katarzyna: Where in the system do you see shortcomings that hinder effective greenery management? What can be changed to improve the situation?

Bogumiła: Regarding shortcomings in the regulations, or in the way of urban planning in general, I will repeat: zoning decisions do a lot of damage. It seems to me that given the knowledge of climate change and the role of greenery in the city, which affects health and quality of life, we cannot wonder whether to introduce greenery into cities—the answer to this question is clear. The question is how to do it. I think it would be a big help if we started to treat green urban infrastructure as equal to other technical infrastructure. This could involve changing the law in the direction of empowering green infrastructure and even treating it as critical, that is, essential to the functioning of an urban community.

Already, one might be tempted to make some regulations more flexible, so that greenery, especially trees, could be introduced in road lanes in what are perceived as collision areas. Another related aspect is to consider whether investments in greenery should not be treated as public purpose investments, that is, with consequences regarding the possibility of possible expropriation, with compensation, of course. Certainly, there is also a need to strengthen regulations that promote the use of land already developed for construction. Looking for proposals for change, I would point out that the definition of green spaces in the Law on Nature Protection is somewhat narrow. If it were expanded to include wasteland, fallow land, undesigned areas or areas of so-called spontaneous greenery, these spaces could be more protected and we would be more cautious about changing their use. The perception of this type of greenery is changing, people are beginning to appreciate such places.

Weed Garden of Krakowians

Photo: © Archive of ZZM in Krakow

Katarzyna: It's true, wild spaces attract.

Bogumila: Sometimes a small interference, for example, piercing a path, is enough to make it possible to walk, to stroll. Such places are very popular especially in cities where there is a lot of „combed”, tidy greenery. As a final point, I would point to the need for better legal protection of large green systems: aeration wedges, a grid of natural systems at the scale of the entire administrative unit, at the scale of the city. The document that captures this is the study, but it has no legal force. I think the revisions should also go in this direction.

Catherine: What good examples can you point to in terms of greenery management?

Bogumila: Regarding the strategic approach, a good example is Gdansk, which has created a retention policy. It is included in a resolution, and a special city unit—Gdanskie Wody—handles its implementation. In addition to guidelines for strictly engineering facilities or reservoirs, measures are provided for strengthening small retention. All new investments must be agreed in terms of retention with Gdańskie Woda. And it is only by obtaining such a document that the investment can begin. Thanks to this, there are interesting examples of settlements with rain gardens in Gdansk.

It is also a very good solution to include the city in a common policy of compensatory plantings, i.e. those that we demand as a result of cutting down trees elsewhere. This was wisely done by Krakow, which has discerned where plantings are needed. And these are not haphazard plantings, orchestrated from behind a desk, but ones that result from knowledge of the area and the city's needs.
Greenery maintenance and planting standards are also important, and can be used in the procurement process. At the stage of writing the order, it is then possible to take into account not only the implementation, but also the preparation for implementation, care, and thus ensuring the permanence of greenery. Such standards have been developed by Wroclaw or Krakow.

These examples can be used, but I always point out that especially in the matter of nature, we need to discern specific conditions. So, you can not copy good practices mindlessly, but look for analogies and see if we can apply them to our conditions. It is worth considering whether it will work in this area, or whether a modification is needed.

A tunnel designed and implemented by the Living Architecture studio, whose material is willow—overgrowing and forming a spatial form over time

Catherine: So the context is important.

Bogumila: Yes, it is important to know the context of the place, your own potential and possibilities. To know both the natural conditions and to balance what we have and what we can use in a way that will not generate new environmental costs. As a minimum, we would have to take the principle that we cannot diminish an existing resource. Instead, we can look at how to improve it. Solutions based on nature, which has a remarkable capacity for self-regulation, are excellent. Well-designed system services are effective and extremely efficient, and the use of local potential is important for the sustainability of the designed assumptions. It's all about native species, which we should promote. Of course, they will change with climate change. More sensitive species will recede, and other European species will appear and expand their range. That's why it's also important to consult with scientists who, when conducting research, have current information about the living tissue affected by these issues.

Catherine: One of the consequences of climate change is urban overheating. What can we do to minimize the effects of excessively high temperatures?

Bogumila: We certainly need to put emphasis on all water-related environments, because they are important in cooling the city. So I would encourage the unclogging of gated rivers and watercourses. As for greenery, tall vegetation, and more specifically deciduous trees, are of the greatest importance. They have a large area of evaporation and it is thanks to this that they cool the city. In addition—they provide shade. Species that provide good shade are those from shady oak-hornbeam forests, for example, beech and hornbeam. It all depends on the situation. A single tree can change a lot in a place where there is no tall greenery. Its appearance can encourage people to move through a large open space. Compared with an ordinary mowed lawn, a bed of herbaceous plants or overgrown with so-called weeds can cool a section of land by up to 10 degrees Celsius. That's a lot. That's why it's always worth analyzing what we have and what opportunities there are to add ecosystem services that will benefit the temperature in the city.

Catherine: You mentioned earlier that a change in awareness is needed. Are there educational activities being undertaken on a larger scale, for example for children or young people?

Bogumila:There are organizations that take up these issues. The National Institute of Architecture and Urbanism has educational initiatives related to public spaces and architecture. They are more focused on learning to read the space around us, especially architectural space. There are also various competitions. The Chamber of Architects runs a program for shaping space, with more green and natural elements. This is a cyclical program that ends with a competition, and young people are eager to join this initiative.

However, I think we need systemic education in this area, in the public education program. Of course, there is a sizable offer of workshops, expeditions that engage children and young people in learning about nature, but these activities need to be sought out. It is good to teach about nature, building a relationship with it, younger children build this relationship through play, for example. It would be great to return to more wild playgrounds, organized in areas of even undeveloped greenery. I think that the recently popular playgrounds, exalted in terms of safety and arranged from start to finish, get bored rather quickly. And they often don't provide space for spontaneity, exploration or learning about the variability of living organisms. It is also worth designing spaces where children could play more freely. There are plenty of interesting solutions on the market that could support this idea, some nurseries, for example, offer trees whose forms encourage children to climb. Willow trees can be used to make living gazebos, mazes or other structures. Teaching responsibility for nature is also important. It could help to introduce gardens as a permanent feature at schools or kindergartens. Children could train their causal power by planting plants, taking care of them. And at the same time they would see the effects of their negligence. I dream of such elements in education.

Willow dome designed and implemented by the Living Architecture studio

Katarzyna: Considering the perspective of twenty-five, thirty years, what are the biggest goals and challenges in greenery planning that you see in Polish cities?

Bogumila: As I mentioned, there is no time to consider whether to introduce greenery, because it is obvious—ecosystem services should become a permanent and important part of the city's amenities. It is important for cities to take stock—to examine the current state of affairs, monitor it and not let the situation get worse. Ideally, it would be possible to expand these resources: improve water relations and greening, increase the availability of greenery for people. I think it is important to use the so-called fourth nature, or natural mechanisms: succession, overgrowth, which generate the least costs.

Katarzyna: Those that happen on their own?

Bogumila:Yes, it requires a change in optics and habits, as well as a change in the perception of aesthetics. Fortunately, this process is already underway. And fourth nature is the cheapest, its introduction creates the smallest secondary carbon footprint. In addition, spontaneous vegetation is the most sustainable and appropriate to the conditions of the site.

In addition to the issue of climate change, quality of life in cities is increasingly important. This topic appears in the discourse at various levels—European, international, national—of landscape thinking. The quality of life factor is increasingly important alongside strictly economic development indicators. I think this will also condition the actions of cities in the near future: thinking about greenery in a broad context, not piecemeal, which is already reflected, for example, in the financing rules for some projects. And those who have this vision beforehand will be prepared and will be able to take advantage of available development mechanisms.

Katarzyna: Thank you for the interview.