Background

This game was organised in partnership with Koszalin City Council, Science for Environment Foundation and the Design Institute of Koszalin University of Technology. The organisers believe that, thanks to the creative cooperation of Koszalin’s residents, the city centre will once more become a lively and vivid place.

Objectives

The purpose of the game was to create a brand for the centre of Koszalin. The participants based their ideas on a set of guidelines created by specialists in the field concerning the communicational transformation of the city centre.

Winning idea

Yes to promenade!

The players in this group have observed that a lot of Koszalin’s problems can be solved by simply restricting motor traffic in certain places. This would be connected with revitalising the central area, creating an amphitheatre and creating new spaces for gastronomy. The project also includes adding urban furniture to integrate people in the centre, as well as introducing green spaces and cycle paths. The project is easy to implement without any great financial input. The initial phase would be experimental, and the whole process divided into stages. This space would be to easily integrate and attract Koszalin residents.

Winning ideas from the other teams

Koszalin strategy

The idea of this group is to promote the city through three aspects. ‘Season for Koszalin’ means promoting the city in the summer holidays, when many tourists come to the Baltic Sea, and showing them what Koszalin has to offer (Hanza Jazz, Młodzi i film).

Another part of the strategy is to do something about the large number of banks in the city centre. The idea is to encourage banks to start initiating so-called Bank Cafes with outdoor gardens and WiFi hotspots. This would give financial institutions a ‘human touch’ and could bring people back in to the centre of the city. Another issue is the city’s division into ‘zones’ – residents are considering promoting a ‘green zone’ (full of parks and greenery) to attract people back to the centre of the city.

Central zone

The idea is to create a highly functional set of zones in order for them to magnetise and attract people. Each zone would have a characteristic colour. The zones are divided into: a representative zone, a musical zone, a cycling, a cultural zone, and a residential zone.

Heart of the city

The centre of Koszalin refuses to be the heart of the city because it is so full of motor traffic. This project aims to limit motor traffic in the city centre and encouraging cycling and animating the newly retrieved spaces through small architecture, art exhibitions, green zones, and by introducing gastronomy.