In search of an answer to this question, the interdisciplinary research team
has been looking upon initiatives from around the world for the past months to create
a co-management model taking into account:
- decision-making structure
- legal regulations
- financing
- space design
- sustainable growth aspects
The target model will be implemented in the functioning of the Jazdów Settlement in Warsaw. The long-term aim is the promotion of solution, which will help to develop common urban goods thanks to the cooperation of dwellers, research institutions, public administration and social economy entities. Work within a local partnership supported by the BORIS association has already begun.
During the project we were asking ourselves several questions:
# Who should decide about common space?
The Finnish houses settlement in the Jazdów area in Warsaw is undergoing a major change. The inhabitants’ resistance against the demolition of wooden architecture gave birth to a strong group of friends of the settlement – Open Jazdów. The group’s members organised a public consultation, which outlined the direction for the growth of the area. The discussion about the settlement started the process of creating a space for NGOs and informal groups as well as academic projects and cultural events. At the same time, some of the houses still serve as dwellings. The settlement area is looked after by the district and city entities.
# Should public offer makers who use the public space pay for it?
The number of micro-spaces around the world which are becoming hybrids of dwelling, social, cultural and service functions is growing. They do not fit into the current management model. They are not regular settlements – they connect active dwellers from the district or the entire city. They are not typical urban services quarters as some of the trade is done without money. For the groups involved, the basic value is to create a well-functioning social net: mutual aid in i.e. organizing events, sharing house space or a barter net. The effect of the common actions is a rich social and cultural offer for the whole city which invites new groups to co-create it.
# Can you protect space without preserving it?
Some of the actions undertaken in places such as the Jazdów settlement entail a particular remuneration and a lot happens thanks to voluntarily work, which consumes most of free time. Concern for such places to exist demands a certain respect for cultural, historic and architectural values and not a short-sighted vision of the plot of land’s market value. In similar cases, every change of power and politics in the city or the emergence of an investor (developer) can trigger resistance which will drain the social energy accumulated over the years. In that moment, we need to start searching for allies anew. The energy and resources finally end, and the place starts to fade or becomes gentrified. Persons and active communities start from scratch instead of developing. Using common space as motors for social change and integration (social cohesion) contradicts using them to generate market value. What tools can the dwellers use to protect common spaces which they developed?
# How to design a space, which is “almost ready”?
Searching for a space development model with a given identity in an integrated and sustainable way is one of the major challenges which places such as the Jazdów settlement have to face. The local space plan can be based on such concepts and should be prepared in a particular manner. Everyday functioning of the settlement and the surrounding space is already defined to a high extent. Changes in the space should be limited to minor interventions. Warsaw and other European cities have a number of tools for inhabitants to act on a local scale – such as the participation budget or local initiative. Still, the high frequency in the polls is not always followed by quality – especially as needs desired by the dwellers are contradictory. Are we ready to listen to the voice of the community, to integrate diffused activities and coordinate them into a model which incorporates the highest space quality without losing the Genius Loci?
Project’s team:
Michał Augustyn, Andrzej Górz, Maciej Łepkowski, Wojtek Matejko, Dariusz Śmiechowski, Anna Wilczyńska, Ewa Zielińska
Project's operator:
Miastodwa (opens new window)
Community-management Model for Jazdów Settlement project is funded by European Cultural Foundation and supported by BORIS