The subject of the article is the description of the genesis and directions of development of recreational areas in the urban composition of modernist housing complexes befor World War II. As the starting point was chosen the criticism of the stone city which has been described, among others, by Werner Hegemann. Further development of residential urban planning was analyzed in the perspective of created alternatives, integrating housing and recreational areas.
For the analysis there have been distinguished 5 types of urban composition and methods of the presence of recreational areas inside them. As a type 1 they tested luxurious villa districts of the late nineteenth century, which were designed on the suburbs of cities. Although these assumptions did not have the modernist character, they announced a wider integration of recreational areas and residential architecture. As type 2 they defined the birth and the development of idea of garden city. Howard’s concept has become the basis for broader social movements. They acted in the development of health and hygiene issues, education of youth, popularization of sports, or new ways of spending free time in broader social reform. As a type 3 they analyzed the recomposition of quarter building estates, in particular its solutions from the beginning of modernism. As a type 4 they described the development of banded and detached systems, emphasizing the presence of various forms of recreation areas. As the last 5 type of composition, that has not been widely used before World War II, they defined radical ideas most fully represented by Le Corbusier. Created by him analysis and projects that he described, among others, in Urbanism, found a response and were developed by the most avant-garde artists and constituted extreme form of the evolution of ideological assumptions of the late nineteenth and
early twentieth century.
In conclusion the article emphasize that analyzed solutions constituted a testing ground of new urbanism experience, in which the role of ideological manifesto was played by recreational areas. The amount of the formal experience in this phase of modernism, individualism and especially the friendly scale of solutions influenced in most cases their contemporary positive perception.

The article is the second part of a study on the origins and forms of development of recreational areas in the composition of modernist housing estates. The first part discusses the development of residential environment before the World War II, distinguishing five types of composition of recreational areas. The second part discusses the development of modernism and movements contesting it after World War II, distinguishing additional eight types of composition (six types of modernist composition and two types of composition contesting modernism but remaining in a direct relationship with them).
As type 6 are distinguished modernist units formed in the centers of European cities, in the areas destroyed during World War II. These compositions were mostly in counterpoint to the pre-existing compact developments, promoting open recreational areas. A type 7 is social realist composition, which created in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, constituted temporary deviation from modernist ideas, although in subsequent years some of them has been developed in accordance with the modernist schemes. Type 8 are the most numerous and most typical for post-war modernism satellite settlements arisen from the 50s to the 80s of the twentieth century. Type 9 are settlements derived from the concept of linear and structural compositions. Type 10 are the units of late modernism, which frequently in the form of manifests argued for a radical combination of architecture and natural areas. Type 11 is a postmodernist urbanism that had modernism context, but in some schemes also alluded to it. Type 12 is a neomodern urbanism formed at the turn of the twentieth and twenty-first century, seeking inspiration in the broadly understood achievements of twentieth-century modernism.
In the summary are described the main development trends of the analyzed phenomenon.

The Officer Neighbourhood is a term related to several neighbourhoods that were founded according to 1924–1935 regulating plans on Krakow northeastern outskirts of the time. They were the composed residential neighbourhoods with a minimal share of other functions. Ca. 600 lots were laid out upon which ca. 300 houses were built by 1939. After World War II the significant functional-spatial transformations took place in the discussed area. Apart from further residential buildings (including typical blocks of flats), the retail, service, cultural, sacral, educational and recreational buildings were added. It brought about the changes, both positive and negative, of the land use and functioning of the district.

Undoubtedly, cities constitute a natural environment for the life of contemporary man. It is estimated that by 2050 as much as 70% of population of our globe will be living in cities and sprawling metropolises. The role of green recreational areas, providing residents with confront and contributing to the improvement of their living conditions, especially in the largest centres, simply cannot be overrated. From amongst European cities, the Barcelona Metropolis belongs to the first ten. An area which is only twice as large as Cracow is inhabited by over 3 million people, and the population of the adjacent towns is another 2 million. Municipal and regional authorities are trying to keep the balance between urbanized and natural areas, and the particular care for the municipal greenery system is particularly useful in this respect. Multistage projects of securing green areas in northern residential quarters of Barcelona, whose element was Parc Central de Nou Barris, inscribe in the latest urban strategies implemented in the metropolis.

In modern conditions, the search forowneconomic resources appears to be urgent for small towns, and tourism is one of them.To boost tourismit is necessary for the urban environmentto beattractive, able to drawattention to itsappearanceorcontent, showing itsdistinctive andunique  rchitecturalfeatures. Spontaneousarchitectural attractiveness may servea crucial rolewhen addressing this issue. It emergesnaturallyas a resultof local individual creativity, and is especiallytopical forsmall towns withpredominantlysingle-family houses. Creative approach toidentification ofspontaneous architecturalattractantsand theiradequateuse in the attractive imageformationofurban environmentcanbe determiningwhen creatingan architectural”face of the city”. Involvement of spontaneously attractive constructions in formation of the attractiveness of urban environmentis of special significance forsmall towns in Ukraine, in particular Lviv region.

The article tackles the formation of new architecture features in post-Fordist times. Even since the first industrial revolution began, city images and architectural forms of that time have started reacting to violent changes in both science and technology. In modernism a car and well-developed automobile infrastructure served as symbols of modern urban agglomerations. European, Asian and American metropolies were outdoing one another, trying to exceed further construction limits, achieving even better heights and spans. The 1990s as well as the popularization of new computer and communication technologies led to high networking of physical spaces. Architectural nomenclature was permanently enriched by such terms as e.g. Internet of Things, interactive objects, intelligent buildings as well as parametric or personalized design. The development of the Internet on a global basis accellerated the process of globalization and the transfer of the local capital onto the international market. This, in turn, sparked a crisis in many industrial cities, their architectural infrastructure turned out to be insufficient in order to retain investors – especially because foreign markets promised more benefits and the opportunity to offer lower salaries. Economic structures of many cities underwent a tremendous change. Many industrial agglomerations were plagued by deindustrialization and population decline; therefore, a lot of citizens decided to leave their locations for purely financial reasons. Several projects and scientific disciplines soon experienced the redefinition and permeating of their terms. Terminological evolutions in philosophy and sociology (ACT) initiated in the 1980s were subsequently influencing other fields of study. Architecture soon started enforcing a new, more network-like approach towards urban studies, with point, city-forming bottom-up actions aimed to complete complex, ready top-down plans. When it comes to the buildings themselves, the meaning of some building and construction elements was subjected to redefinition, some were given an entirely new significance, which in turn contributed to the creation of functional hybrids. The article is concluded with an exhibition designed for the Museum of Architecture in Wroclaw, which is a research-project experiment devoted to architecture in post-Fordist times and simultaneously constitutes an attempt to define new architectural forms with the help of another work processes.

This article is an attempt to summarize the author’s role in creating the chosen recreational complex designs with the active participation of the city inhabitants. The examples of civic group initiatives which are presented as program – function roles, designed and constructed as part of a large recreational space development program, started by the Lodz Municipal Authorities. The described projects and buildings encompass the years 2005 and 2010. The main focus lies on the „Park Kultur”, an initiative of the city youth, designed in the Teofilow district. Other projects, created with the help of the Lodz Sport and Tourism Depatment as well as Gorna and Ruda district inhabitants, encompass the analysis of two areas: Stawy Jana in Gorna District and Stawy Stefańskiego in Ruda District.

The intensive expansion of nations, economic development as well as the progress of civilization are compelling growth within various branches of industry sectors. As a result, the field of architecture commenced a series of adaptations so as to satisfy contemporary social needs which have arisen in recent years. University spaces, which represent and play a significant role in forming a place’s character and atmosphere, require ongoing changes; an evolution of sorts. Desiring to encourage people to use them while inducing a positive user experience, architects seek to create flexible, versatile spaces, full of innovative and attractive solutions. To this end, flexible spaces are designed to meet the needs of society. In this article, the author presents world-renowned examples in the field of creative design of university spaces, and delves into their design process taking into account theories in the field of environmental psychology.

Cities have never completely gave up rusticity. From the antiquity, villages and rural areas have been performing recreational functions for urban residents. They have been treating traditional tasks carried out in farmhouses as a hobby, in which they involve in their free time. Various forms of recreation in cities or these executed by their inhabitants are rooted in the rural rites and customs. Urban gardening is a rustic form of recreation in the city. Allotment gardens, backyards, communal gardens, farms for children, edible parks and food forests, grown according to the principles of permaculture, located within cities. The „rural” leisure of city dwellers is also achieved by equestrian centres, horse riding tracks and hotels for horses, increasingly localized in the urban development. The rustic recreation often allows for the integration of urban population through the large involvement of local communities and non-profit business in the form of a public-private partnership.

This article is dedicated to the reclaim process of the biggest rock resources mine in Poland: „Kujawy” Limestone Mine. The reclaim project has recreation and education function, with the special focus on the needs of pupils at school and pre-school age. The project includes the environmental, socio-cultural and economic analysis of the region.
One of the main targets of the project is the harmonious integration of architectural solutions with the characteristic mine landscape of the area. What is more, this project fully exploits the environmental factors of this particular place and uses them to realize its recreation and education function. The integration of the already existing technical infrastructure of the excavation areas with the Center activities program will assure the acceleration of the local economy. Another important aspect is a thorough analysis of didactic needs of the addressees of this project, taking into consideration their age and interests, resulting in a rich offer of the Centre’s activities range. The recreation function of the Center is realised through a thorough choice of architecture objects, and shaping their design in accordance with the psychological and biological needs of children and teenagers. Combining the recreation and educational function of the investment is expected to raise a substantial interest from among not only the local schools and education units, but also among the local community. The project has a great innovative potential, which can distinguish it on a national level, considering particularly a unique character of the proposed design solutions.

Milan can count in its attractions one of the most ancient public parks in Europe, the ‘Giardini Pubblici’ (Public Gardens) opened in 1784 by Austrian Government to bring in Lombardy the Vienna’s grandeur. It was a success and can be reported as the first recreational public open space in Italy. After almost 200 hundred years, Milan started to face with the problem of the loss of its green structure overwhelmed by the continuous growing of the urban fabric. The answers were two wide parks devoted with the idea of reforestation that created a new definition of the outskirts of the Lombard metropolis: Boscoincittà (‘Wood-in-the-town’) coming out from the requalification of former agricultural fields and Parco Nord Milano (Northern Milan Park) renovating the brownfields left by heavy industry. Both of them were and are devoted for the recreational use and improved the quality of life of the people living in Milan. At the end of the XX century a new series of parks, at a quarter scale, replaces some former derelict industrial areas, left in various places inside the historic urban context of Milan. Finally in the last ten year Milan regenerated itself changing its skyline, but this kind of ‘revolution’ brought a quantity of new parks and opens spaces really devoted to recreational use at various scales, always in direct connection with the built environment both dedicated to residential or office use. The paper illustrates this time line reporting and discussing how the perception of recreational open spaces has changed in Milan, the un-expected green growing city.

Various factors and conditions that affect the organisation of architectural environment of entrance groups of public service establishments located on the ground floors of residential buildings are comprehensively reviewed in the article. Available design features and compositional and spatial solutions of various built-in public service establishments that contribute to the solution of problems of aesthetic expression of residential development.

The article reveals the importance of art exhibitions as part of an integrated cultural environment of the city, their usage for innovative cultural, educational and social projects. The potential of exhibitions’ attractions for enriching of recreational area of the city has been analyzed. The aspects of modern exhibitional strategy forming, creation of structural model of artistic character exhibition activity, analyzed the elements of exhibition space organization, exhibition forms and objects. The urgent directions of art installations creation as a tool for the implementation of creative ideas were defined, outlined the options for their placement in the public space of the city.

The ability to make proper use of modern technical advancements in the field of lighting seems relatively simple. However, a large degree of discomfort is often experienced in urban built-up areas which is caused by the improper tailoring of lighting to local specifics and needs. Marked jumps in lighting intensity, caused by the improper selection of lighting, that underline the local aspects of shaping public spaces, at times leading to a blurring of the borders of perception between night and day on the one hand, and zones that are less illuminated become an optical “black hole” on the other. The paper is focused on the proper planning and design of the illumination of buildings, multi-family residential zones, streets and other elements of space taking into account their social aspect, in a manner which allows light pollution to be prevented regardless of the residents’ quality of life.

The paper discusses the issues tied with recreation in the architectural spaces of single-family detached houses located within the landscape outside of cities. Recreation plays a very important role in the space of a single-family detached house, as it is tied with the everyday life of a family. The paper presents thirteen award-winning architectural and urban designs developed by second year students during the 2015/2016 academic year, developed at the Chair of the Housing Environment of the Faculty of Architecture of the Cracow University of Technology. According to the author’s opinion, they illustrate the yearning for a life in a natural environment, surrounded by meadows, forests, lakes, mountains and seas, in isolation, peace and quiet. The efforts and dreams of inhabitants who want to be surrounded by nature every day have been reflected in the design and construction of residential areas in a housing environment that is strictly and mutually tied with the natural environment.