Article from issue 05|2021 of A&B
Discussions about the land recently purchased by the city in Wesoła are stirring up a lot of emotions. More than 9 hectares located in close proximity to the historic center of Krakow, with historic post-hospital buildings and extensive green areas, has enormous potential. Directly proportional to it are the expectations of various interest groups. We take a close look at the steps taken so far by the city investor, trying to meet them.
A new chapter in the history of the hospital grounds in Wesola officially began on November 8, 2019, when the Municipality of Krakow concluded an agreement with Jagiellonian University for their phased purchase. It established the terms of payment of nearly PLN 283.2 million for the 9.13-hectare area located between Kopernika, Śniadeckich and Grzegórzecka Streets and the buildings on it. The latter are mainly historic buildings, to be taken over until 2023 as the University Hospital is moved to its new location in Prokocim.
Map of the land purchased by the Municipality of Krakow
© ARMK
The decision to purchase was met with general approval, which did not manage to fully resound dampened by waves of doubts and concerns about the future fate of the site. The situation of taking control of a large acreage in the center of the city seemed unprecedented, at least on a national scale, and the possibilities for its development almost limitless. The darkest visions concerned the liquidation of green areas (occupying almost half of the area) and the sale of buildings and plots to private investors, as was the case, for example, in Zabłocie. Jerzy Muzyk, Krakow's deputy mayor for sustainable development, reassured that the plan is to introduce mainly services (largely public) in Wesola, and to preserve the greenery in accordance with the provisions of the local development plan (MPZP). The problem is that in November 2019, work on a new MPZP concept for the Kopernika Street area was coming to an end. Its enactment was planned for autumn 2020, but due to the purchase of land, the procedure was slowed down to incorporate the results of promised public consultations. In practice, this meant that the city could enact the document in the shape it deemed most favorable to itself or future investors.
Location of buildings on the purchased land; buildings to be demolished are marked in black
© ARMK
Meanwhile, the management of the purchased land was entrusted to the Agency for the Development of the City of Krakow (ARMK), established less than a year earlier - a municipal company directly subordinate to the mayor of Krakow, headed by Dr. Jan Pamuła. From the beginning, ARMK's tasks included not only managing the post-hospital area, but also preparing it for planned investments. This included an inventory of buildings, greenery and preliminary arrangements with the conservator. Soon the scope of ARMK's activities expanded to include other projects in other locations, including the construction of a Music Center on Cichy Kącik Street.
Which Wesoła?
We want to develop Wesoła in the best possible way," reassures ARMK president Jan Pamula. - From the beginning, the mayor stressed that - first - we should not reduce the amount of greenery and - second - we should not sell historic buildings.
The building of the former Urology Department and University Hospital at 18 Grzegórzecka Street is under conservation protection; planned lease for commercial medical functions
Photo: Tomasz Kiełkowski Archifoto
© ARMK
The Agency is already being approached by potential tenants ready to renovate the buildings and make the necessary adaptations with their own funds. There is no doubt that their selection will refine the character of the neighborhood. "This enclave is first and foremost to serve people, but it should also earn for itself," Jan Pamula stresses, " although it does not have to generate huge profits at all. He assures that the scenario of keeping the whole thing out of the city budget was also considered. So far, the decision has been made to allocate the buildings at 15, 15a and 15b Kopernika Street to house the Krakow city library. The issue of extensive green areas (although it is known that they are to be accessible and open) also remains unresolved: there is a possibility that events from the Market Square and attractions from the Lower Mills could be relocated here, or that a relaxation space for nearby residents could be designed.
consultation
It seems that the Krakow authorities have appreciated the importance of Wesoła in every respect - both as a part of shaping the city and as an important policy point for conducting a dialogue with residents. The purchase of the post-hospital land has created a model opportunity for joint decision-making about the future of the area, and the declaration to hold public consultations has somewhat calmed the mood. ARMK and Inquisio, the company that won the bidding competition to carry out the consultation process, faced a considerable challenge: how to carry it out in a time of pandemic-enforced isolation?
After analyzing a number of scenarios (one of which involved postponing the task for up to a year), it was decided on a time-extended, two-stage formula involving a largely online dialogue. The purpose of the consultation was to simultaneously inform residents about the nature of the post-hospital sites, their limitations and acceptable solutions, as well as to create a forum for the exchange of ideas, observations and comments. The first stage was planned to collect ideas on ways to plan the function and use of the enclave in Wesola. The second phase was to include an evaluation and further discussion of the concepts that emerged.
Thefirst phase of consultation was scheduled for November/December 2020. It included an online questionnaire, collection of written opinions, expert duty hours and workshops with architects and urban planners. Due to many questions about the involvement of municipal entities, a panel discussion was held with representatives of the City of Krakow, the Krakow City Development Agency, the Botanical Garden and the Board of Urban Greenery in Krakow.
Location of planned renaissance gardens - an idea that did not meet with enthusiasm of residents
Photo: Tomasz Kiełkowski Archifoto
© ARMK
Consultation participants appeared to agree that the Wesola area should be designed and developed transparently, gradually and participatively. They proposed developing guidelines for a functional plan for the post-hospital areas on the basis of the public consultation and having them adopted by the Mayor of Krakow in the form of a task to be implemented by the ARMK. The Agency's president admits that he was surprised by the suggestion to develop Wesoła in stages:
I believed that our goal was to bring the facilities and land to a condition that would allow institutions to lease them as soon as possible. I was thinking of lower costs and imminent, visible results. But since the residents expect phased actions, we agree.
As part of the phased measures, participants in the consultation also suggested holding a competition to develop a concept for the development of the site and strengthening public participation through additional dialogue before adopting detailed solutions and making the most important decisions.
Thefirst stage of consultations also yielded relatively consistent results with regard to the functions planned for Wesola; first and foremost, the need was pointed out to create a space of rest surrounded by greenery, which could at the same time be a kind of agora - a meeting place for different age groups and communities: residents, artists, artisans and small entrepreneurs. In line with this, such functions as museums, libraries, community centers, kindergartens, a senior citizen's home, dormitories, open-access art and craft studios, art and culture coworking, restaurants, cafes were proposed for the buildings.
