Examining patterns of policy change in a post-socialist city: the evolution of inner-city regeneration approaches in Łódź, Poland, after 1989 [original]

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Galuszka, J. (2017). Examining patterns of policy change in a post-socialist city: the evolution of inner-

city regeneration approaches in Łódź, Poland, after 1989. Town Planning Review, 88(6), 639–664.

https://doi.org/10.3828/tpr.2017.39

Jakub Galuszka

Examining patterns of policy change in a

post-socialist city: the evolution of inner-

city regeneration approaches in Łódź,

Poland, after 1989

Accepted manuscript (Postprint)Journal article |

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(FSNBOZFNBJMKBLVCHBMVT[LB!UVCFSMJOEF

The article analyses the process of transformation of inner-city regeneration strategies in the central

Eastern European (CEE) city of Łódź in Poland. During the period of structural adjustment that commenced

with the fall of socialist regime in 1989, the city experienced multiple problems linked to the closure of

the textile industry, depopulation and a number of social issues. In their search for a new strategic devel-

opment model, the local authorities experimented with multiple inner-city regeneration approaches. By

reviewing key strategic documents in the city, this paper analyses the gradual change in the objectives

and pressure points in inner-city regeneration. The analysis is complemented by the presentation of three

case studies illustrating how the approaches identified within these strategies (culture-led development,

mega-project, socially focused revitalisation) were implemented.

Keywords: inner-city regeneration, mega-project, post-socialist city, culture-led development, central

Eastern Europe, revitalisation, Łódź, Poland

Introduction

Facing new economic and political realities in the early 1990s, the countries of the post-

Soviet bloc went through a rough period of structural adjustment, which left its mark

on cities and their inner-city neighbourhoods. The new economic realm created both

an opportunity and an aspiration for the redevelopment of urban areas. Although it is

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cities in Central Eastern Europe (CEE), a few key common issues may be identified

across the region. Much attention has been given to changing socio-economic and

spatial characteristics of the local cities, including shrinkage, ghettoisation, gentrifica-

tion and suburbanisation processes (see Kok and Kovács, 1999; Sýkora, 1999; Kovács,

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has been given to various inner-city regeneration projects and city-level case studies

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This article broadens the scope of the analysis of urban transformation processes

in CEE by looking primarily at the evolution and relationships between different inner-

city regeneration approaches during the last twenty-five years in Łód1PMBOE<AQ1]

Section 1 of the article provides a theoretical background on inner-city regeneration

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Jakub Galuska

Examining patterns of policy change in a

post-socialist city: the evolution of inner-city

regeneration approaches in Łódź, Poland,

after 1989

about Łódz4FDUJPOT÷BOEøJODMVEFBSFWJFXPGUIFNBJOMFHJTMBUJPOBOETUSBUFHJFT

relevant to inner-city regeneration and the presentation of three case studies illus-

trating the implementation of the identified approaches. Finally, conclusions from the

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1. Inner-city regeneration in Central and Eastern Europe

1.1 Context

Shortly after the political change of the early 1990s the majority of CEE urban areas

experienced similar socio-economic and spatial processes. However, the speed of

transformations and the ability to address these issues varied significantly between

different cities. In particular, some of the multifunctional, diverse cities like Warsaw,

Krakow, Poznań and Gdańsk in Poland developed rapidly (MarcińD[BLFUBMöôõö#Z

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many of the regeneration attempts were limited to pedestrianisation of their central

markets and renovation of the most emblematic heritage. Many of these initiatives

were steered by the private sector, whose extensive involvement in urban regenera-

tion is considered one of the key differences compared with analogous processes in

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tution processes and the privatisation of the housing stock coincided with an influx

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cooperation with the private sector and engagement in private–public partnerships

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intervention, speculative forms of redevelopment tended to hinder socially oriented

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Kazimierz district in Krakow, where strong involvement of the private sector led to

unintentional market- and property-led revitalisation which benefited local commu-

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status and renovated centres of cities like Prague or Krakow might not necessarily just

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pressure on attractive locations or the result of the historical characteristics of a city.

Alongside these processes, public agencies in CEE started to develop their own

practices to manage the challenges they faced. With time the ‘Western’ notions of

strategic planning and urban regeneration started to play a more important role

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the following section link to the case studies in Łód and represent culture-led devel-

opment, mega-projects and social revitalisation approaches.

1.2 Culture led-development

Viewed in a broad sense, culture-led development can be identified as one of the promi-

nent regeneration approaches in CEE. The contribution of culture to regeneration

may include a variety of interventions ranging from major investment in festivals or

flagship buildings to small-scale interventions like public arts programmes (Evans and

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of inner-city districts had appeared already in the 1980s in the United Kingdom.

In the following years cities like Manchester experimented with the approach, with

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only a few of these were truly successful and the ability to emulate Manchester’s

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and arts in their inner cities from the 1990s onwards. On the one hand this type of

project has focused on traditional heritage and included the creation of museums

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other hand, industrial urban fabric has often been reinterpreted through linkage with

alternative arts, cultural events and creative industries. Both seem to be motivated by

potential economic gain as well as by a symbolic need to reinvent themselves through

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cultural festivals are mushrooming in many primary and secondary cities. Similarly

pan-European arts and cultural programmes, like the European Capital of Culture,

steer many regeneration processes (i.e. in Sibiu in Romania or Pécs in Hungary). The

impact of these types of intervention varies from case to case, with the examples of

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smaller-scale project in Śródka, Poznan, where the introduction of artists and cultural

institutions into the district has been contested by local communities (Kaczmarek

and MarcińD[BLöôõ÷8IFOJNQMFNFOUFEJOBTFDUPSBMNBOOFSXJUIPVUQSPBDUJWF

and multidimensional political and public engagement, cultural interventions hardly

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runs the risk of promoting gentrification specifically in the context of the emergence

of new urban consumption spaces responding to new patterns of leisure and culture

(Zukin, 1998) introduced in post-socialist reality after 1989.

1.3 Mega-projects

Another inner-city regeneration approach with relevance to Łód is the develop-

ment of mega-projects. These can be identified as high-profile projects involving

the redevelopment of industrial and brownfield areas, the creation of transport

infrastructure and the renovation of historic districts (mostly with a focus on the needs

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tend to generate impressive budgets, public attention and general support from

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four technological, political, economic and aesthetic ‘sublimes’ which motivate the

development of mega-projects. The stakeholders involved expect clear benefits from

engaging in this type of initiative. Politically, mega-projects can result in media atten-

tion; economically, they promise new employment opportunities. They also might link

to technological innovation and enable the creation of iconically beautiful buildings.

However, as much as mega-projects succeed in exciting the general public, they also

tend to be characterised by a failure to keep to original deadlines and budgets as well

as a lack of overall transparency.

While there are privately driven initiatives like Port Praski in Warsaw, the emblem-

atic mega-projects with significant involvement of public authorities are not yet as

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In fact, numerous iconic buildings with a cultural function have been constructed in

the region and are being used as a tool to activate specific districts, but rarely emerge as

mega-projects and relate more to the culture-driven regeneration approach. Similarly,

many big projects involving the redevelopment of train stations are being carried out

in CEE and are associated with supplementary initiatives of the private sector (like

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more and more expensive in the major cities of CEE, train companies have started to

use their valuable resources and take on the role of real-estate agents or developers.

Although this kind of project might impact regeneration of some areas in a city, their

main goal is the commercialisation of urban space, resulting in increasing commercial

functions in the total land use area (Sykora, 1999).

The mega-projects applied (or declared) as part of an inner city regeneration

strategy are implemented relatively rarely, which makes the case of the New Centre

of Łód or the Europoint in Brno all the more interesting as a subject for study and

evaluation.

1.4 Socially focused revitalisation

The last of the approaches with relevance to Łód – socially focused revitalisa-

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housing and issues of economic and social exclusion, and is supposed to benefit local

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the Leipzig Charter on Sustainable European Cities signed by EU members states’

ministries responsible for urban development. The document places special emphasis

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