Dominika Pazder

The aim of this study is to draw attention to the necessity of creating places revitalizing social life within the downtown public space. It is to underline the necessity of creating the scenographic background of the city life, through the creation of specified urban elements which have an impact on the city’s choreography. The study employs a multicriterial, original research method which allows the subject matter to be examined within the following aspects: spatio-compositional, semanto-perceptive, and socio-economic. As a result of investigation, the desired direction of the development activities has been achieved within the scope of the utilization of the trump areas for the creation of a creative public space and within the scope of the utilization of the deficit space for the creation of places – focal points of spatio-social activity contributing to the revitalization of the downtown area.

Temporary use of space is a strategy of activating the space of abandoned buildings or urban wasteland areas via a variety of bottom-up and top-down initiatives proposed by local communities, municipal authorities and developers. Implemented as a preliminary stage of a target investment project, temporary use of space is intended to spark the interest of the inhabitants and create an attractive image for potential clients. In the area of Poznan, it is a pioneering strategy, that has yet not been thoroughly studied in the Polish context. The strategy entails both positive and negative phenomena. It is the intention of this article to critically analyse  a case study of Koszary Kultury [Arts & Culture Baraques] in comparison to a similar initiative in Vienna, i.e. CREAU project.

Comparative analysis, combined with a bibliographic query of literature and a site visit, has enabled us to identify opportunities and threats of temporary use of space and to work up recommendations how to create friendly and inclusive residential housing via revitalisation activities.

This article focuses on how modern housing environment is shaped via the specifics of construction in extremely challenging weather conditions in the cities of Saudi Arabia. With the overall goal that modern housing must be eco- and human-friendly in mind, the authors have attempted to identify the characteristic features of the Islamic cities and traditional local methods of construction. The article presents typical solutions of local architecture and urban plans, expecting that they might render significant guidelines for the spatial organisation of modern cities. A case study of Jazan city and its neighbourhood has been intended to analyse not only the spatial design of the city but also a recently worked out Masterplan. Both the architecture and the urban planning of Jazan city might serve as a good example of modern interpretation of heritage that underlies high quality housing environment.