Background

Poznań, the fifth largest city in Poland, is an important historical and industrial centre. The Poznań Future City Game focused on a specific area in the city - the Śródka district, one of the oldest areas in the city. Its main street, Ostrówek Street, and the neighbouring Ostrów, Tumski, and Chwaliszew streets, form a unique urban and architectural area, which is under protection. However, Śródka faces many problems and is in the process of revitalisation. The revitalisation of the Śródka district is part of a programme called the ‘Urban Revitalisation Programme for the City of Poznań - pilot phase – Śródka’.

Objectives

Many very interesting ideas came up during the game. The participants all agreed that in order to be successful, projects have to involve residents and take into account all the involved parties. The majority of ideas, therefore, explore not only different strategies to attract more visitors to the area, but also try to take into account the residents’ needs and expectations. We invited a range of experts from various backgrounds (sociologists, architects, developers, artists, etc.) to play the game and to discuss possible solutions together with the residents of Śródka. The participants mainly focused on the stimulation of small businesses, the quality of public spaces, creation of spaces for cultural activities, and greater involvement of residents. A great mix of participants provided the city officials with an interesting insight into the problems and proposed solutions. The officials found some elements of the ideas interesting enough to be included in the City Council’s spatial management plans and local development plans.

The game was co-organised by Poznań City Council, Ostrów Tumski-Śródka-Zawady Local Advisory Board and Pro Design, the founder of the Wielkopolskie Centrum Designu (Wielkopolskie Design Centre) in Poznań. The national magazine on architecture and design, ‘Architektura’, was the game’s media patron.

Winning idea

The Arts Gate (Brama Sztuki)

The view of Ostrówek Street from the Bishop Jordan Bridge that connects Śródka with Ostrów Tumski was the inspiration for the creation of the winning idea. The team proposed setting up a ‘Gate’ to Śródka district, a temporary construction made of scaffolding and waterproofed canvas, and transform this area by the riverbank, owned by the city, into a cultural and arts venue. How could the residents be encouraged to visit and explore the Śródka district? Besides regular events, the Arts Gate could also be used as an outdoor cinema, since the popular and legendary Malta Cinema is no longer open. In order to provide a complete offer, the city should stimulate small local businesses, such as galleries, restaurants, cafes, etc. The project could be partly financed through co-operation with small local investors, who would provide the necessary materials in exchange for promotion. The low implementation cost of the winning idea would make other revitalisation steps within the district easier.

Winning ideas from the other teams

The Green Śródeja Route (Trakt Zielona Śródeja)

This team’s idea focuses on environmentally friendly solutions and eco-education. The team proposed constructing a centre for eco-education, to be built by using energy-saving technologies and environmentally friendly material, on the riverbank. The centre would be a part of a green route stretching from the Śródka roundabout, the so-called ‘single-tree park’, to the Bishop Jordan Bridge. However, such a project cannot be successful if it is not realised in agreement with the residents. Even the name of the idea, ‘Śródeja’, which is commonly used for Śródka by its residents, underlines the importance of co-operation with the residents in bringing this project to life. The implementation of new green spaces should therefore consider the residents’ needs and wishes, as well as take into account how Śródka has functioned until now. The residents would be encouraged to participate in the project in different ways, but all of them would be invited to compete for the nicest balcony or archway. The resident’s involvement could keep the idea alive.

The Śródka Gallery (Galeria Śródka)

This team’s idea focuses on the transformation of the district into a popular meeting point. Poznań residents mainly use Śródka as a free car-park. How can the residents, therefore, be persuaded to come to Śródka for a morning cup of coffee, to buy fresh bread from a small bakery, visit a gallery, or pop into a café to meet friends on their way home from work? One of the ideas was to take the advantage of a beautiful riverbank and try to attract Poznań Polytechnic students, who could walk from the Polytechnic along the riverbank to have lunch in a wonderful atmosphere of Śródka. However, the main idea focuses on the cultural offer and proposes creating a network of thematic yards, created and arranged by artists. Every yard would have its own keeper – a resident of the building - who would be responsible for its upkeep. The team checked whether Śródka residents would support the project. It is not an easy task and, like every vision of change, it requires lots of partners: residents, building owners, city authorities, NGOs, academics, the arts, and business circles. Since Śródka Gallery is at the heart of this team’s idea, they came up with an original promotion of the gallery. Gallery would mint coins that could be bought only in Poznań Old Town Square and spent in the Śródka District.

J’aimiosło

The project’s name is a combination of the Polish word ‘rzemiosło’ (craft) and the French ‘Je t’aime’ (I love you) and highlights the revival of traditional crafts and the importance of preserving heritage and cultural identity. Some traditional crafts can still be found in Śródka, as one of the residents pointed out, but they should be preserved and the skills passed on to the younger generations. Old printing techniques, for example, would be taught, and then the work of artists and their apprentices would be presented in an open gallery – Śródka's public space.

Ground Level Initiatives (Parter Inicjatyw)

This idea encourages the influx of creativity and creative industries into the area. Ostrówek Street would be closed to traffic and transformed into a “promenade–gallery”. Artists, young creative people, students, and small business entrepreneurs would be given the opportunity to use the ground level spaces and transform them into interesting art spaces. Ostrówek Street would become the ‘creative backbone’ of the district.