The center of Warsaw is getting greener and greener. The New Warsaw Center project is slowly enriching the capital with more green spaces. In the coming days, they will be joined by Bracka Street, which before the end of the vacations will be able to be admired in a completely new look.
The reconstruction of Bracka, a short street at the junction of Krucza and Jerozolimskie Avenues in Warsaw, was carried out as part of a multi-year project called the New Center of Warsaw. The concept for the redevelopment of Warsaw's Downtown includes adapting it more to pedestrian and bicycle traffic, introducing a significant amount of greenery and generally improving the quality of space by cleaning up the center, and promoting multifunctionality. So far, the New Center of Warsaw has been built point by point and slowly, as we wrote about here. But now, six months later, the dots on the map are slowly beginning to connect.
Woonerf on Bracka Street in Warsaw`.
Photo: Rafał Motyl | UM Warszawa
woonerf on Bracka Street
In the coming days, the new Bracka, which has undergone a complete transformation in recent months, will be opened to Warsaw residents and citizens. From a heated concrete space where it was difficult to walk, and which was blocked by chaotically parked cars, Bracka Street has turned into a woonerf, or so-called urban courtyard - a paved or slab-lined street, within which car traffic is limited to a minimum, while pedestrians and cyclists gain priority. At the back of the CeDeT, where Bracka street runs, nearly 40 trees of various species have recently been planted, and small architecture in the form of benches and bicycle racks has also been installed. From the side of Krucza Street, Bracka will end in a triangular square, where a resting area in the shade of trees has been arranged.
Deprived of low greenery, Pięciu Rogów Square
Photo: Cezary Warś | UM Warszawa
difficult experience
It seems that the first woonerf in the center of Warsaw, as such a name is due to the renovated Bracka Street, will avoid the ills faced by similar projects in the capital and other Polish cities. Some time ago we wrote about Krupnicza Street in Cracow, which, despite its positive reception, lacked some greenery. Much more controversial was the change made to Warsaw's Plac Pięciu Rogów in 2022, located opposite the new establishment on Bracka Street. The Five Corners Square was criticized primarily for its rather ill-considered approach to greenery - Kacper Ludwiczak, Michal Kempinski and those from the WXCA studio responsible for the project greened the square with 22 trees, but no care was taken for lower plantings. The result was a concreted space in which the trees seem like an alien element, as if coming from another reality. By the time the planted maple trees reach their rightful size, providing more shade, Five Corners Square will certainly be a greener, but still heated square during the summer months.
Woonerf on Bracka Street in Warsaw`.
photo: Cezary Warś | UM Warszawa
The situation is quite different in the case of Bracka Street. As expected, the newly planted trees do not yet have expansive crowns, but unlike in the case of the Five Corners Square, each of the plantings is surrounded by a patch of ground, where space has been found for low vegetation. This solution has several important advantages - first of all, the ratio of concrete to green spaces is reduced, which has a positive effect on the thermal characteristics of the site and reduces the phenomenon of the urban heat island. In addition, the amount of biologically active space, so much needed by birds and insects living in cities, is also increased, thanks to the absorptive properties of the uncovered soil, the street copes better during heavy rainfall, and the aesthetic dimension of the place is definitely gained.
Woonerf on Bracka Street in Warsaw`.
photo: Rafał Motyl | UM Warszawa
fewer cars, more greenery
Writing about the renovated Bracka Street, it is important to mention how the functional characteristics of the place are changing due to the reconstruction. Above all, the street will become less accessible to cars. For years Bracka has been a dead-end street from Jerozolimskie Avenue, so, like many such spaces, it was a trap for drivers, and at times a space filled to the brim with parked vehicles. This will change, however, as there will be far fewer parking spaces on Bracka Street from now on. The change is part of a trend of decreasing number of cars in the center of Warsaw. Already in 2022, according to research, daily vehicle traffic in the city center decreased by nearly 13% compared to 2019. The differences will certainly be exacerbated by the Clean Transportation Zone, which has been in effect in the center of Warsaw since July 1 of this year - according to estimates, the new restrictions cover another 3% of vehicles moving through the capital. Those disgusted by the reduction in parking spaces on Bracka Street, however, are coming to the aid of a publicly accessible underground parking garage, with which CeDeT is equipped; a similar structure is also to be built at Powstańców Warszawy Square, located nearby.
Project of the New Center of Warsaw
© UM Warszawy
by the thread to the ball
Transforming Bracka Street into a woonerf is another step on the road to the New Warsaw Center. The project, which until recently was in its infancy, is slowly taking shape, and the individual "points" that make up it are finally coming together. Thanks to the new Bracka, the Five Corners Square, which will be revitalized in 2022, is gaining a 150-meter-long continuation from Jerozolimskie Avenue. The next stop on the emerging green route is Chmielna Street, which, like Bracka, is undergoing a deep metamorphosis. In this case, despite the advanced work, you will still have to wait a while for the effects, the New Chmielna in the form of a woonerf for pedestrians is not expected to open until autumn.
