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The Krakow International Architecture Biennale was an important space for a debate on the future of the Wesoła district - a green enclave in the heart of Krakow, where, due to the hospital's move out, the medical function is ceasing and the new one has not yet been decided. During the two-day workshop, interdisciplinary teams consisting of architects, urban planners, urban researchers and councilors, residents of Krakow and visitors from other cities, discussed the spatial-functional-communicative potential of the area. The paths were two: to build and transform or not to build, making the most of the existing infrastructure. One of the workshop participants, a member of Group III, was Matthew Swietorzecki of WWAA.
Group III: Natalia Paszkowska, Mateusz Świętorzecki (architects, WWAA), Magdalena Buczyńska (architect, beDDJM), Dominika Kucharska (graduate of the Faculty of Architecture, Cracow University of Technology), Kuba Snopek (urban planner), Joanna Erbel (sociologist), Grzegorz Stawowy (City Councilor of Cracow), Monika Firlej (Green Grzegórzki Association) and Patrycja Akulenko (student of WA PK).
Photo: Lubomir Nikolov
Katarzyna Jagodzinska: What is your reflection after seeing Wesoła?
Mateusz Swietorzecki: During the workshop we referred to the area as "a hole in the city." Although a hole carries a pejorative connotation, it is as positive as possible. It's an area of the city that has been preserved, as if frozen in its development, not developed like the city around it, by having a special function. In cities, one encounters such places, these are hospital areas, or military areas, areas belonging to the railroad, which sort of freeze in this function and do not develop over time, like the city around, which evolves. This was undoubtedly one of the hugely interesting things, especially given the location of the area, that is, its proximity to the center, surrounded by an intense urban fabric and, in addition, what is happening in the area, that is, its geological diversity - the variation in level, the Botanical Garden surrounding it, the greenery. There is a lot of space in the Botanical Garden, as in the monastery gardens, but these are fenced spaces, enclosed, inaccessible to everyone. And here in the center of the city there is a hidden garden, a secret space that has to be accessed through a strip of buildings from Kopernika Street, through other passages from the viaduct and other sides. Interestingly, the name Wesoła itself has its historical origin in the former villas and vineyards that used to be in the area. So there is something to return to.
III group project - operation "Merry"
photo: Patryk Czornij
Katarzyna: A unique space. What shape do you feel this district should take to be a good and appropriate place for this location in Krakow?
Matthew: This is a good question and I think there is no clear answer to it. This is also, in a sense, demonstrated by the workshops and the three iterations of the various workshop groups that made their proposals. On the other hand, it seems to me that what united them was a certain diversity and the creation of an urban framework combined with greenery and open space - this is also brought by the plan that is in the process of being passed, that is, noting the proximity of the botanical garden, the great potential of open, green and accessible space. It's true that Krakow has a beautiful Planty establishment, which is the lifeblood of the city center and an intensive green space, while here it would have a chance to get a different form. A hidden garden rich in various accessible functions that enliven and complement the surrounding urban space. This came up in all the works.
Botanical Garden and the green areas of Wesola and the surrounding area
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Catherine: What functions do you think would fit well there?
Matthew: We proposed opening functions, revitalizing and some activities on the borderline of culture and social elements - studios, a recording studio, small multi-purpose rooms where various local activities can happen, including children and seniors. Above all, we wanted to create a kind of hub where all these things rub up against each other, intermingle over time, intermingle in the same rooms in different guises, as the kind of element that anchors life in the area. This has happened in many cities around the world, when some closed or post-industrial areas were opened to artists. They were opened to the public with low rents and various other amenities. This began to attract life, which generated more life. Over time, this neighborhood began to fill in, then became more expensive, prices changed, the structure changed, and finally the artists moved out somewhere, and the neighborhoods became full-fledged, drawn into the city, diverse areas. Wesoła has development, infrastructure, greenery, openness. We thought of activity without a framework in the form of universal development, which can be used in various ways, is not a huge building just an open pavilion where various activities can happen. In order to revitalize this area, to attract people to it and only begin to shape its functionality, which in time would become more concrete and more permanent.
group III's proposals
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Catherine: Do any examples of implementation in other places seem to you a good model for Wesoła?
Matthew: Transformations in cities like Paris or Barcelona, where neighborhoods that are initially very withdrawn begin to gain character. In Warsaw, such things were happening in Powiśle before the big investment movements entered the area. It was also happening on the outskirts of Warsaw, on Burakowska Street or in post-industrial areas. This can be observed in Lodz on Piotrkowska Street. The scale is perhaps not the same as in the West, because in Poland after the communist era the functional and spatial structure of the city was quite diverse and mixed, which I personally consider a big plus of that era.
Katarzyna: Given the scale of the area, how do you think if the city were to set its sights on a slower and more organic development process, how long could it take?
Matthew: You could try to set up a certain process and way of operating, start it and change it on an ongoing basis. It's hard for me to say whether it's five, ten or fifteen years. The city expected that it had to be done quickly, because there would be a need for quick results, that there would be such a public expectation, and it turned out to be quite the opposite. People wanted more of a process that unfolds, rather than a finished solution in three years, even in the form of a large investment, for which you then look for an infill that also allows you to maintain such infrastructure. I think this kind of thinking is pragmatic and very contemporary.
The 
elem of Group III was to create a vibrant organism, which will consist of various elements
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Katarzyna: What would be the best solution to proceed now in Krakow? How should this process continue?
Matthew: What is taking place here is an unprecedented situation, that the city has a great deal of perpetual power in the area: it is, in a sense, the developer, not only the manager and guardian of public and spatial order, but also has full authority over what can happen in the area. Secondly, it has a special body that deals with the area, is responsible for it and is supposed to bring life to it. Here the question arises about the definition of the tasks of such a body - is it a body that is supposed to prove itself in a few years with a number of realizations and buildings built, or is it supposed to demonstrate a dynamic process and development of the place in a broader way, bringing new life to this part of the city in the first place? It seems to me that everything that should be there is already there. There is the most important thing, which is a dedicated body responsible for the place. Certainly this process should be supported by local residents, the activities that happen there and the voice of experts, and then there is a high probability that it will lead to good and innovative results.
The 
The site is managed by the City Development Agency
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Catherine: Thank you for the interview.
