<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The paper aims to investigate the potential of higher education institutions as catalysts for revitalization on an urban scale, using a case study of the revitalization of the workers’ housing estate of Donnersmark Ironworks in Zabrze, Poland. The case study showcases the adaptation of a historical building at 2 Londzina Street into a Center for Medical Simulations of the Academy of Silesia. The research was conducted using a mixed historical and interpretive research method and focused on analyzing the urban and architectural structure of the estate, as well as researching local spatial problems and the model of revitalization processes in post-industrial areas of Upper Silesia. The study also examined how the the design of a building serving advanced medical simulation was shaped as comprehensive functional complexes. The findings of this research indicate that revitalization is a comprehensive process that involves bringing degraded areas out of crisis through holistic actions integrating the interventional role for local community, space, and local economy. The paper presents a case study of how higher education institutions can act as catalysts for revitalization in the process of urban planning in Poland. The findings indicate that a well-designed revitalization program ensures broad participation and can have a positive impact on the local community.
</abstract>

The potential of higher education institutions as catalysts for revitalization in urban planning: A case study of a Medical Simulation Centre at the workers’ housing estate of Donnersmark Ironworks in Zabrze

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<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The paper is the second part of the study conducted on the market of investments carried out by small, non-corporate developers, analysing the object of their investment activities. The study adopted a two-stage research method – analysis of source materials and a case study summarised by quantitative research. The main objective was to analyse the potential of land properties and the characteristics of land plots in terms of their suitability for development investments. In the examples studied, investments were made on plots of land with an average area of 2760 m2. It was observed that the built-up intensity in this case does not differ, regardless of the size of the plot and the type of development – for most of them the same ratio of the usable floor area of dwellings to the area of the plot is obtained. It is concluded that the size is close to the maximum density of development specified for the site. A characteristic feature of non-corporate developers is to invest in intermediate types of development – semi-detached two-unit (side-by-side or stacked) buildings. The development methods of the plots usually consist of using the maximum allowable built-up intensity.
</abstract>

The investment market of non-corporate developers in Poland – analysis of the feasibility studies

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<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The comparative study on recent changes in greening processes in residential areas of Kraków and Lviv is intended to improve the insight into and devise a new approach to shaping and preserving urban green spaces. It aims to outline the critical current characteristics of greening in residential areas and changes in their structure brought by urbanisation in Poland and Ukraine today.
</abstract>

Transformations in residential green spaces of Kraków and Lviv today driven by urbanisation processes

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<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Denise Scott Brown a trailblazing architect and advocate for postmodernism played a pivotal role in reshaping the architectural landscape by championing the inclusion of postmodern urban and housing experience. The paper focuses on the transition from modernist formalist and functional understanding of the city, towards postmodern urban methods as represented by DSB, photography, collage, active socioplastics, attention to consumerist symbolism, as a means of encoding the empirics of urbanism, the living cities. In everyday scenes she documented social interactions, meditated on complexities of postmodern experience of poverty and wealth, criticism of increasing commercialization of the image of the city, and muteness of formally planned urban scape, and architectural vernacular of twentieth century American city. She was a precursor in her socially informed studies of postmodern society and its embodiment in suburban housing, such as in “Learning form Levittown”. She applied the new methodology and critical yet inclusive observation of complexities and challenges of contemporary cityscape.
</abstract>

Denise Scott Brown: A Precursor in Encoding Complexities and Challenges of Contemporary Stratified Urban Life, Suburban Sociologies, and the Symbolism of Postmodern Housing

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The urban heritage of modernist housing estates in cities has undergone a process of permanent adaptation to the requirements of the current social needs, environmental requirements, and spatial development conditions. It turns out that these spaces have a great potential for implementation of sustainable development principles. The main aim of this work is a presentation of the potential of the urban heritage embedded in modernist housing estates in contemporary urban structures and an attempt to answer two questions: to what extent modernist housing estates satisfy qualitative requirements dictated by sustainable development, and whether they can be an inspiration and creative continuation in the contemporary city. This topic deserves attention as this field has not been comprehensively studied yet and is perceived from the perspective of numerous stereotypes, while the image of such housing estates and their social perception and position in spatial structures of cities are of key importance for their future in the spatial and social structure of the city. The adaptability of modernist housing estates makes them perfect candidates for sustainable revitalisation of cities.
</abstract>

Urban heritage of modernist housing estates and their contemporary potential in the city structures

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
This paper presents an urban approach to modelling and planning the development of cities, with particular focus on Lublin as a case study. Research into models of the spatial structure of a city is crucial to the effectiveness and efficiency of urban planning decisions and policies. The study analysed Lublin to identify the key elements and relationships that make up its urban layout. The scientific objective of the study is a model interpretation of the spatial and functional structure of Lublin. Following Zuziak’s example, it was called the urban structure, and it will be analysed as a proposal for a potential tool to facilitate the control of city development. The research used classical methods applied in urban planning and architecture but was inspired at the by the logic of algorithms simplifying road networks and preserving their typological properties. Thus, different types of layers, information and spatial data were translated into an accessible language and were finally presented in the form of an urban design, consisting of urbanity nodes and development corridors. The main conclusion of the research is that an intelligible model (plan/scheme/graph) of the city can become a useful tool for shaping a high-quality urbanised environment that responds quickly to new challenges.
</abstract>

Modelling and Planning Urban Development: A Case Study of Lublin in the Context of the Challenges of 21st Century Urbanism

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The Athens Charter was published by CIAM in 1943 and it has constituted one of the most important guidelines for architects for many years. Although it was published eighty years ago, it still remains as one of the most important source for the building regulations in some Eastern European countries, including Poland. On the other hand, its demands have been criticized many times for creating spaces in which the mental condition of residents is not taken care of. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified society's contemporary mental problems related to loneliness and social belonging. One way to counteract these problems is to create sociopetal spaces that encourage people to interact and gather together. The aim of this article is to identify the most important postulates of the Athens Charter and the features of sociopetal spaces, compare them and demonstrate the contradictions between them. In addition, a practical use of the sociopetal architecture's postulates was demonstrated via the example of Plac Wolności in Łódź. The authors used the analytical and interpretive and comparative analysis methods. The area of the research is design theory. The scope of the research concerns the urban and architectural scale.
</abstract>

Sociopetal space in the context of the demands of the Athens Charter

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Within the Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot Metropolitan Area (GGS MA) one can find both housing estates offering excellent living conditions and wide access to the associated infrastructure, as well as those that fall into the low housing standard category. Low standards take different forms depending on where they occur – the core or the functional zone. The unfavourable situation in the housing market does not prevent residents from buying substandard housing; there is a belief among residents that they need to invest capital in property, most often for investment purposes. As a research method, a survey was used to determine the opinion of GGS MA residents on the standards in their places of residence, as well as interviews with experts and representatives of local authorities. The aim of this study was to analyse in depth the problem of low housing standards in new housing developments and to identify solutions that could prevent them from occurring, which would contribute to increasing the living conditions of residents in highly urbanised areas, smaller towns and villages.
</abstract>

Low housing environment standards in new housing developments on the example of selected estates of the Gdańsk-Gdynia-Sopot Metropolitan Area’s core and functional zone

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The contemporary approach to creating the residential function is confronted with the trend of increasing the volume of buildings and expectations regarding the future urban environment focused on sustainable development. This paper presents an overview of the residential structure in the context of defined thematic scopes. Namely, it is a systemic approach to the problem of designing mixed-use buildings which create a modern residential structure in developing urban centres. The creation of smart cities from existing urban areas and newly designed centres involves comprehensively defined design guidelines. The key is the integrity and interoperability of the dynamic structure which can serve as a basis for developing new systems and/or improving the existing ones. The developed model structure for creating and maintaining the system is based on a genetic algorithm and is presented in the form of a neural network that involves the use of artificial intelligence (AI). The specific structure is intended as a tool to support supervision and decision-making in the process of designing and managing contemporary mixed-use buildings in their newly planned surroundings.
</abstract>

Mixed-use buildings as the basic unit that shapes the housing environment of smart cities of the future

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The quality of the housing environment is equally reflected in the availability of non-residential buildings and public spaces. Today's developing cities include not only residential development, but also public institutions that are designed to enhance the value of the residential environment and integrate the area. Healthcare facilities are particularly noteworthy here as they play a crucial role for the community. Contemporary urban trends and experience indicate that these facilities should not be enclosed and cut off from the functioning of the town, and special attention should be paid to their social and ecological character. In this respect, health care buildings should be integrated into the life of cities and represent a design challenge for architects, urban planners and local authorities. The primary purpose of the article is to show the potential of introducing modern healthcare facilities into the housing environment, thereby integrating the area and allowing the public easy access to an attractive social space. The research was carried out at the Faculty of Architecture of Cracow University of Technology and in cooperation with the Town and Municipality of Wieliczka, on the basis of students' studies on the architectural proposal of the “Geriatric Care Centre” at the site of the health centre indicated by the municipal authority. The goal was to obtain and compare specific layouts of solid spatial organization, with their characteristic parameters, strengths and weaknesses in terms of creating attractive, urbanizing spaces with a wide field of influence.
</abstract>

Medical facilities as an integrated space in a town: Case of the Geriatric Care Centre in Wieliczka

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
Social isolation in cities and separation from the outside world resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic has caused, especially among residents of urban areas, a desire to return to their roots and traditional solutions, associated with nature and health. This is evident in the number of urban residents interested in buying old wooden houses, which are being adapted to modern needs, or translocating them to another area. Old, sometimes disused buildings, which are in danger of becoming a thing of the past, thus gain new life in a new place. However, the process of relocation is also inevitably linked to modernisation and reconstruction, i.e., making changes to the authentic fabric of the residential building as a result of its new function. The purpose of the article is to introduce the process of relocation of wooden buildings and the technical problems associated with it, using the example of a house from the village of Boćki translocated to the village of Gnieciuki in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. This is a positive example of saving wooden architecture in the spirit of tradition, combining the past with the present. However, it shows how many difficulties can be encountered in construction work, and how important it is to be aware of the historical value of a building so that it continues to be a visual and cultural frame from the past after being moved to a new location.
</abstract>

Relocation of Wooden Buildings on the Example of a House from the Village of Boćki in the Podlaskie Voivodeship

<abstract>
<title style='display:none'>Abstract</title>
The transformation of the urban environment reflects the changes in the city’s functioning, adapting it to the modern needs of its inhabitants. The analysis of housing development in Łódź aims to demonstrate the actual changes that have taken place in recent years (2013–2021). The study focuses on the residential development transformation trends within the administrative boundaries of the fourth largest urban centre in Poland, in terms of both area and population. The study was conducted using CLMS data and orthophoto monitoring by MGGP Aero on behalf of the Łódź City Planning Office, and confirms similar trends observed on a national scale. The study suggests that a geospatial approach may be significant when planning and implementing urban strategies that are appropriate for a changing society and housing market.
</abstract>

Transformations of Housing Development as an Element Shaping the Direction of Urban Changes in Łódź

Publishing Ethics

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Środowisko Mieszkaniowe/Housing Environment

The journal 'Housing Environment' is an international periodical that has been published since 2003. It focuses on research related to the housing environment, which is understood as the...

MNiSW

The journal 'Housing Environment' is an international periodical that has been published since 2003. It focuses on research related to the housing...