Students of the Silesian University of Technology - Patrycja Bartos, Zuzanna Dudek and Natalia Żak have an idea for the development of Chorzowska Street in Gliwice along with the adjacent areas. Their project "Green Rally" is a proposal to create a green axis connecting Gliwice and Zabrze, focused on pedestrian, bicycle and public transport.
The presented project was carried out during the didactic classes of the subject Urban Revitalization during the first semester, first year of the second year of full-time studies at the Faculty of Architecture of the Silesian University of Technology, under the direction of Dr. Tomasz Bradecki, the instructor of the subject was Prof. Krzysztof Gasidło.
The project connects Gliwice and Zabrze
© Patrycja Bartos, Zuzanna Dudek, Natalia Żak
"Green Rajza".
The idea behind the work was to transform Chorzowska Street and Wolnosci Street into a "Green Rajza" - a street with narrowed roadway, widened sidewalks, introduced bicycle lanes and increased greenery, in line with the High Line in New York.
With climate change increasingly evident, measures are needed to make modern cities more resilient to adverse conditions. The project "Green Rajza" is a proposal of solutions that could be implemented to make Chorzowska and Wolnosci Streets more attractive and at the same time increase the cities' resilience to climate change. The activities are mainly focused on the area of the two streets of Gliwice and Zabrze, as well as neighboring green areas, connected by green fingers, creating a green network, the authors of the concept explain.
The authors focused on introducing changes along Chorzowska Street in Gliwice
© Patrycja Bartos, Zuzanna Dudek, Natalia Żak
focus on public transport
In the pre-design part, the authors performed a number of analyses. As they say, it was necessary to look at public transportation, since both Wolności Street and Chorzowska Street are the main traffic route between the cities. The students were also keen to connect the concept to the entire Upper Silesia-Zagłębi Metropolis.
In the absence of an adequate public transportation network, giving up individual transportation could prove impossible. At the same time, an analysis of areas with high potential for revitalization showed a large amount of green areas in the vicinity of these streets, the authors add.
numerous green areas are important in the concept
© Patrycja Bartos, Zuzanna Dudek, Natalia Żak
The architecture students then presented proposals for specific measures in each area. It was extremely important for them to analyze which places are or could be landmarks, i.e. points along the entire route that would motivate users to move along a longer section of the "Green Rally." To make the project realistic, the authors also took into account the issue of ownership. The proposed activities focus on sites owned by municipalities or the Treasury.
one of the public spaces
© Patrycja Bartos, Zuzanna Dudek, Natalia Żak
traffic route connecting parks
The students, bearing in mind the progressive changes in the world in the communication of urban areas, strived for balance, by strengthening public transport, pedestrian and bicycle communication. The transformed transportation route is intended to link two urban parks located at the extremities of the project area - the Culture and Recreation Park in Gliwice and the Fallen Heroes Park in Zabrze. Smaller green areas have been selected for revaluation or revitalization so that they can become part of the new establishment.
Project activities were divided into: greenery, communications and public spaces
© Patrycja Bartos, Zuzanna Dudek, Natalia Żak
landmarks and an interchange center
Proposals for applied solutions were shown in detail on selected strategic fragments of the study area, the aforementioned landmarks, which include degraded urban spaces, spaces on city borders and communication spaces.
The activities, divided into three thematic blocks: greenery, communication and public spaces, focus on the modernization of Chorzowska and Wolnosci Streets by reducing the share of vehicular traffic areas, supplementing the urban fabric and modernizing existing buildings, and reactivating ground-floor services, leading to increased attractiveness, improved safety and quality of life for residents and their physical activation, the students explain.
area with a recreational and sports function
© Patrycja Bartos, Zuzanna Dudek, Natalia Żak
The flagship project of the premise is an interchange center on the city border, envisioned as a base for cyclists and skaters. Another important aspect was the linking of existing green areas through the creation of green city squares, alleys, community gardens and areas with recreational and sports functions for a wide range of users. Also key was the reorganization of parking lots adjacent to existing residential areas.
