INVOLVING PUBLIC SPACE USERS TO DESIGN CHANGES BASED ON THE REDEVELOPMENT OF THE SQUARE IN GORZÓW WIELKOPOLSKI (POLAND). CASE STUDY

The case study of the reconstruction of the Unknown Soldier Square (in Polish: Plac Nieznanego Żołnierza) is aimed at examining the investment process with a participatory component, with an analysis of the real impact of Gorzów Wielkopolski residents on the entire investment process. The essence of the study is to identify the missing activities improving social communication and emerging design solutions that are in fact responsive to users' needs. The study is based on activities carried out by the design company Pronobis Studio together with the City Hall of Gorzów Wielkopolski. The analyzed process showed the potential of urban residents as co-creators of the reconstruction project, and at the same time emphasized the lack of coherence between the expectations of the participants of the process and the investment possibilities of the municipality. The socialized reconstruction process primarily influenced the increase of architectural and urban awareness, improved the sense of influence on the urban space, and stimulated interest in public space among people who didn’t take part in events organized to design changes. The analysis of the participatory process in Gorzów Wielkopolski showed deficiencies associated with the organization of potential animation methods involving urban residents to actively co-design public space, enabling interest in urban investments, as well as deficiencies in stimulating control activities during the investment implementation phase and involving evaluation of accepted solutions after the changed space has been made available to users.