Is a post-dystopian urban future possible? Alternative scenarios for Bytom

This article follows the argument that urban dystopia is reserved not only for the sphere of the fictional but also as a state of reality that academic methods can capture and describe. Taking the example of the city of Bytom, a traditional centre of coal mining in Southern Poland, the article discusses four spheres where the dystopian present is clearly visible – namely, the four elements that led Bytom to a socio-economic and spatial collapse: depopulation, social polarisation and ghettoisation, degradation of the urban fabric and mining damage. Apart from showing empirical evidence, the article critically considers the possibilities of a post-dystopian urban future for the city. A discussion of possible policy answers to these dystopian trends is based on two possible visions of how the urban future could look. First, the semi-dystopian vision assumes that the expected direction and the results of current policies will lead to some improvement in the quality of the urban environment and the residents’ quality of life. Second, the post-dystopian future is based on an optimistic vision, which assumes that a post-dystopian future is possible. However, the desired salvation from the dystopian present will not come about through the search for new utopian visions. It will rely instead on the improvement and mitigation of some of the substantial social, economic and environmental problems that exist and continue to present an unbreakable social image

Social transformation of great mining regions : experience of the 20th century : prospects for the 21th century (the case of Upper Silesia, Poland)

This article, which deals with civilizational challenges of Upper Silesian mining communities at the end of the 20th century, consists of five complementary parts. In Part I, we present a diagnosis of economic and social situation of this catastrophic and scansen-type region of Poland and Europe. Part II deals with the history of mining local communities, from the early years of this branch of industry (which are given documentary evidence) to the end of the Second World War. In Part III, we reconstruct the changes within these communities in the time of real socialism (1945-1989). In the next part, we suggest necessary and radical changes in ,UPPer Silesian mining and associated social structure. The last part of an article is an attempt to describe a regional social agreement called the Regional Contract. The Document was prepared in the Katowice voivodship in 1995 by numerous economic institutions, political parties, trade unions, social and cultural organisations. Its main purpose is quick and complex restructuring of the economy of the region, together with coal mining industry and mining communities. (fragment tekstu

Transformation directions of brownfields : the case of the Górnośląsko-Zagłębiowska Metropolis

Brownfields are remnants of the functional and spatial transformations of urban areas in Poland. They are particularly abundant in old industrial districts, based on coal mining and metallurgy. The aim of this study is to identify the transformation directions and functional changes of brownfields in the former Upper Silesian Industrial Region in southern Poland, which has evolved into the Górnośląsko-Zagłębiowska Metropolis (GZM) through the process of socio-economic transformation. The study makes use of the x2 test of independence and Cramer’s V as a post-test, and the method of in-depth interviews. The results indicate that the most popular new functions of post-industrial sites are production and services. When we consider large brownfields such as, in particular, disused mine dumps, dumping sites, settling ponds and workings, the most popular new form of land use is green spaces. Moreover, the study shows that the size of brownfields impacts their new forms of land use

"Katowice effect"? : regeneration of the site of the former Katowice coal mine through prestige cultural projects

This paper aims to give an in-depth account of the regeneration of the site of the former Katowice coalmine, by far the largest regeneration venture financed by the public sector on a post-industrial site in Poland, and to cap- ture the primary outcomes and effects of this prestige project. Contrary to a simplified interpretation of a 'Polish Bilbao effect', the authors argue that the Culture Zone follows a unique development model that was driven by a coincidence of such factors as the situation of a major (post-) industrial conurbation seeking a new identity, the availability of external funding, chance events (with the origins of some of them dating back to WW2), and pre-existing spatial factors. The study area has been diagnosed to include all the positive effects of flagship projects, as well as most of the weaknesses associated with such a type of regeneration. All in all, it is a successful under- taking given the external conditions under which it has been implemented

An Introduction to Governance of Urban Shrinkage. A Case of Two Polish Cities: Bytom and Sosnowiec

The process of urban shrinkage has numerous causes; the consequences of this phenomenon are also varied. The common ground, both for causes and consequences of the described phenomenon, is the broadly understood urban policy. Under this term the authors of the book understand the whole of the activities conducted at various levels of urban development management, with special emphasis on the role of municipal authorities. Undoubtedly, the role of the authorities is crucial, for they constitute the body appointed in democratic elections (Mayor, Council), as an expression of community support. It is assumed this style, and no other, of urban policy, emphasizing and solving specific problems is acceptable by the local community.Książka sfinansowana z budżetu projektu unijnego: Shrink Smart. Governance of Shrinkage within a European Context, nr 22519

Recreational use and health functions of allotments gardens in the Katowice conurbation, Poland

Allotment gardens are multifunctional elements of urban space, which have been shaped by various strands of development, among which a significant role is played by health purposes and recreational use. Different aspects and problems of the recreational use of allotments in the industrial area of the Katowice conurbation in Silesia, southern Poland are the scope for this analysis, and are considered against the background of their historical development. Allotment gardens are important components of an urban recreation system, and a primary base for recreation by the owners of these allotments. Time spent in gardens is filled with physical activities associated with taking care of them and also for passive recreation. An advantage is the possibility to spend leisure time, especially by hard working people or those with limited possibilities to access other forms of recreation. An advantage is the possibility to spend leisure time, especially by hard working people or those with limited possibilities to access other forms of recreation. The date of commencement of work and the number of people spending leisure time on the plots are dependent on weather conditions and being at the disposal of free time. Therefore, recreation is characterized by seasonality, and reveals significant differences in the number of allotment users each day. Socio-economic changes in the last few years have resulted in significant changes in the methods of utilising these gardens and the type of recreational use of individual allotments

A new "socialist city" in the Upper Silesian Industrial Region : a sociological case study

This text represents a kind of post factum summing up of the empirical research conducted in one town of Upper Silesian Industrial Region (USIR) in the years 1985—1990. Sociological research carried out in Tychy was devised to: 1) describe the fundamental mechanisms, rules and principles governing the formation of a new socialist town in the border region, 2) record the social and cultural consequences of the functioning of these mechanisms, rules and principles, 3) record the feelings of the town residents regarding the conditions of life in a “new socialist town” and their level of identification with it, 4) prepare an overall diagnosis of the present condition of the town and to propose steps aimed at its revitalization. [fragm. tekstu