Research was undertaken in order to examine the ways colour has been coordinated in urban design in Poland and Slovakia – especially reasons and conditions under which colour planning started and thereafter operated. The methodology employed included an analysis of archival materials, interviews with designers and public officials as well as field studies. Five colour plans were analysed from the following points of view: the circumstances of their initiation, the methodology and process of their elaboration, the method and degree of implementation and their ‘life’ over the following years. The aim of this study is to compare and analyse the impact of individual colour plans in order to get an input for strengthening the professional and scientific approach to colour planning through lessons learnt from these examples.

Keywords: colour, colour planning, architecture, urban design, design methodology

Streszczenie
Artykuł przedstawia wyniki analizy sposobów koordynowania koloru w architekturze i urbanistyce w Polsce i na Słowacji, w tym badania powodów i warunków, w jakich podjęto się planowania koloru w architekturze w tych krajach. Metodologia badań objęła szczegółowe zapoznanie się z materiałami źródłowymi i wywiadami z projektantami i urzędnikami oraz badania terenowe. Pięć przykładów planowania koloru przeanalizowano pod kątem okoliczności ich powstania, metod projektowania, sposobu i stopnia zastosowania. Porównanie i analiza wpływu poszczególnych planów kolorystycznych pomogły wyciągnąć wnioski, które powinny przyczynić się do rozwoju planowania i koordynowania koloru w przestrzeni publicznej.

Research was undertaken in order to examine the ways colour has been coordinated in urban design in Poland and Slovakia – especially reasons and conditions under which colour planning started and thereafter operated. The methodology employed included an analysis of archival materials, interviews with designers and public officials as well as field studies. Five colour plans were analysed from the following points of view: the circumstances of their initiation, the methodology and process of their elaboration, the method and degree of implementation and their ‘life’ over the following years. The aim of this study is to compare and analyse the impact of individual colour plans in order to get an input for strengthening the professional and scientific approach to colour planning through lessons learnt from these examples.