Adapting the compact city model in planning new areas of medium-sized cities. From competition concepts to local development plans, on the examples of Tczew and Stargard

Michał Stangel

doi:10.37190/arc240210

Abstract

The article presents the possibilities of concretizing the idea of the compact city for new urban development areas in medium-sized cities in Poland, on the basis of author’s experience with winning competition concepts and local development plans developed on their basis. The presented examples are: New Urban Centre in Tczew, on a post-military site, and residential areas in Stargard. The work presents a reflective examination of one’s own design and planning practice. The methodology used is research by design – linking design and research processes in order to obtain new knowledge about a given space. The underlying methodological model assumes a cycle of analysis, design and synthesis. The starting point was an analysis of conditions on the basis of background materials, maps and field observations, which made it possible to specify the key elements for shaping the new structure. Analyses made it possible to concretize design assumptions and develop concepts; the synthesis and verification of which was the development of local plans, in accordance with the possibilities available under the planning technique. The analysis indicates that the compact city model, key in context of sustainable development, nevertheless requires an individual approach when adapting to local conditions. The presented initiatives from medium-sized cities in Poland offer a number of practical tips, including: the use of competitions to determine the future development vision and the verification of competition assumptions within a wide range of conditions. Planning provisions should take into account the diversity of public spaces, securing green spaces, and promoting sustainable mobility. In the context of recent amendments to the Polish Law on Spatial Planning (2023), although there is no formal strengthening of urban design in the planning process, there is a growing popularity of the idea of the compact city. Therefore, there is a need to improve methods of shaping urban structure, especially using pre-design studies and during design. The findings presented here can contribute to improving planning practices and effectively implementing the idea of the compact city in locations in medium-sized cities

Keywords:
compact city
sustainable city
urban design – architectural competition
urban design concept
local planning
sdg11

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2024

2(78)

Michał Stangel*

Adapting the compact city model

in planning new areas of medium-sized cities.

From competition concepts to local development plans,

on the examples of Tczew and Stargard

Introduction

In the context of sustainable development challenges

and climate change, urban planning plays a crucial role in

minimizing environmental burdens, energy consumption,

and greenhouse gas emissions. An appropriately structured

urban fabric can enable and promote the fullment of resi

dents’ diverse life needs within ecofriendly, economical

life styles. It is widely believed that it is in cities and good

urban planning that the challenges of the modern world

can nd common environmental, social and economic

solutions [1], [2]. To paraphrase a phrase attributed to Win

ston Churchill: “We shape our cities, and thereafter they

shape us”.

It is now widely accepted that in the context of the chal

lenges of sustainable development and energyclimate

transition, the appropriate structure is the compact city,

also known as the city of short roads or the 15minute city.

The city is designed to be compact, with a focus on mixing

urban functions and creating public spaces that prioritize

convenient pedestrian and bicycle access to public trans

DOI: 10.37190/arc240210

Published in open access. CC BY NC ND license

* ORCID: 0000000187282888. Faculty of Architecture, Silesian

University of Technology, Poland, email: michal.stangel@polsl.pl

Abstract

The article presents the possibilities of concretizing the idea of the compact city for new urban development areas in mediumsized cities in

Poland, on the basis of author’s experience with winning competition concepts and local development plans developed on their basis. The presented

examples are: New Urban Centre in Tczew, on a postmilitary site, and residential areas in Stargard.

The work presents a reective examination of one’s own design and planning practice. The methodology used is research by design – linking

design and research processes in order to obtain new knowledge about a given space. The underlying methodological model assumes a cycle of

analysis, design and synthesis. The starting point was an analysis of conditions on the basis of background materials, maps and eld observations,

which made it possible to specify the key elements for shaping the new structure. Analyses made it possible to concretize design assumptions and

develop concepts; the synthesis and verication of which was the development of local plans, in accordance with the possibilities available under

the planning technique.

The analysis indicates that the compact city model, key in context of sustainable development, nevertheless requires an individual approach

when adapting to local conditions. The presented initiatives from mediumsized cities in Poland oer a number of practical tips, including: the use of

competitions to determine the future development vision and the verication of competition assumptions within a wide range of conditions. Planning

provisions should take into account the diversity of public spaces, securing green spaces, and promoting sustainable mobility.

In the context of recent amendments to the Polish Law on Spatial Planning (2023), although there is no formal strengthening of urban design in

the planning process, there is a growing popularity of the idea of the compact city. Therefore, there is a need to improve methods of shaping urban

structure, especially using predesign studies and during design. The ndings presented here can contribute to improving planning practices and

eectively implementing the idea of the compact city in locations in mediumsized cities.

Key words: compact city, sustainable city, urban design – architectural competition, urban design concept, local planning, SDG11

98 Michał Stangel

portation. While shaping a compact city may seem like

a simple idea, the true essence of urban planning and design

lies in its implementation. This involves translating general

principles and guidelines into local conditions and opportu

nities, which requires careful analysis and decisionmaking

throughout the planning process [3].

The subject of this article is a reective examination of

the author’s design and planning experience on the concre

tization of the idea of a compact city in areas of new urban

ization in mediumsized cities – Tczew and Stargard. The

author’s awardwinning competition entries were subse

quently translated into the provisions of local development

plans. The analysis uses research by design methodology to

explore the relationship between design and research pro

cesses in order to gain new knowledge about a given space.

The conclusions drawn from these cases demonstrate the

potential and limitations of implementing the compact city

concept in relation to local conditions and available plan

ning instruments. This allows for the identication of com

ponents that can serve as guidelines for similar topics.

The compact, sustainable, 15-minute city

and the importance of public space

The model of the compact city is a structure where

everything residents need for life is within close distance:

workplaces, schools, preschools, shops, cafes, clinics, sports

fa ci li ties, green areas, etc. Such an organization of space re

duces the need for travel, allowing for primarily pedestrian

or bicycle movement. An important element of the compact

city structure is also the formation of local service centres,

integrated with public transport stops and interchange nodes

[4]. Recently, this wellknown urban planning concept has

been popularized under the name of the 15minute city. It

highlights the synergistic and multiplicative eects and the

positive feedback operating within the compact urban struc

ture, resulting in lower energy consumption and time needed

for transport, stimulation of social contacts, and increased

use of local services, ultimately beneting the local econom

ic base [5], [6].

The compact city idea is widely expressed in strategic

documents and policies, e.g., in the UN’s Sustainable

Development Goal SDG11 [7] or the European Union’s

Urban Agenda [8]. In Poland, the compact city idea is

promoted in the National Urban Policy [9] and the guide

lines and recommendations of the Department of Spatial

Planning of the Ministry of Development and Technology

[10]. The idea is also fostered through several other ini

tiatives, such as the strategic research project “New Ur

banization Model in Poland – Practical Implementation

of Responsible Urbanization and Compact City Principles

(NewUrbPact)” [11] or the Ministry of Development and

Technology’s competition for outstanding achievements in

the elds of architecture, construction and planning, which

in the latest editions specically called for “concepts of ur

ban space implementing the idea of the compact city” [12].

In 2023, the amendment of the Act on Planning and

Spatial Development was implemented to rationalize spa

tial development in Poland. The goal was to limit urban

sprawl and align with the compact city idea [13]. Nonethe

less, the experiences of Polish cities in recent decades show

that shaping a coherent urban structure in the contemporary

realities of construction processes, especially in small and

mediumsized cities, is not common – instead of a coherent

structure, often a chaotic, detached development emerges,

not creating urban space.

The essence of the compact city idea is that the intensi

cation of development should simultaneously allow for the

shaping of public space structure. This structure consists

of interconnected streets, pedestrian paths, squares, and

green areas, understood not only as recreation areas but

as a bluegreen infrastructure system benecially aecting

the climate, rainwater retention, and generally the natural

system of the city. Analyses of public space focus largely

on the existing urban structure and the quality of devel

opment provided by appropriate landscape architecture. In

existing structures, public space is commonly formed by

universally accessible arrangements, both urban in nature,

shaped by architectural objects around streets or squares,

and areas of special landscape, cultural, or natural values

that are not urban interiors. These areas function daily as

the basic canvas of movement zones, constituting the liv

ing space of the city’s residents.

Shaping a legible structure of public spaces is parti

cularly challenging in the formation of new urban com

plexes. Properly organized and utilized public space can

be the canvas of the emerging urban structure and a sig

nicant element in building the future quality of life for

residents. A clearly structured street network can simulta

neously serve as a mobility space, a crystallizing element

of the built environment, and a sequence of local social

spaces [14]. A key element important for the composition

of public spaces is the formation of the interface between

the buildings and public space – active frontages. The ge

ometric and functional parameters of frontages – the clear

closure of space, the provision of openings of services on

the rst oors and humanscale design – can be crucial for

future benecial spatial, social or economic eects. The

examples described aimed at an optimal concretization of

the idea of the compact city in the given contexts of Polish

mediumsized cities – rstly, by shaping the concepts of

legible urban structures; and secondly, by translating key

elements of this concepts into the provisions of local de

velopment plans, within the planning instruments availa

ble in the Polish spatial planning system.

Research by design methods

The paper utilizes research by design methods, which

involves linking design and research to create new knowl

edge about a given space [15]–[17]. The methodological

model of research by design in architecture and urban

planning consists of a cycle of analysis, design, and syn

thesis [18]. The author’s studies successfully concretized

the idea of shaping a compact city based on the specic

conditions and potential of the location.

The starting point was the analysis of the competition

regulations and existing planning documents, which, how

ever, provided little direction for optimal conceptual solu

tions. The analysis of the site based on maps and, above

Adapting the compact city model: from competition concepts to planning documents 99

all, on the conclusions of local inspections, made it possi

ble to specify the key elements to be taken into account in

shaping the structure of public spaces: existing and poten

tial external communication links, dirt and internal roads

that could form the nucleus of the communication system,

existing trees, reservoirs and depressions in the area that

could be places of natural rainwater retention, elements

of neighbouring development to which the new structure

could relate, as well as nearby landmarks.

The analyses made it possible to concretize the author’s

design assumptions, and then to draw up working versions

of the concept, in which the structure of public spaces

was supplemented and proposals were formulated for the

shaping of key elements of the new development: amen

ities frontages, landmarks and spatial accents, as well as

instructions regarding the functions of buildings, primarily

amenities, so important from the point of view of a compact

city. The shaping of green areas in relation to existing tree

canopies, landforms and basins and water reservoirs made

it possible to create a system of ecological links that will

simultaneously be benecial for rainwater retention [19].

In both cases, the validity of the authors’ conclusions drawn

from the analyses and adopted design assumptions was

conrmed by receiving the rst places in the competitions.

The conceptual solutions were later veried and synthe

sized in the process of elaborating the local spatial devel

opment plans on their basis, in accordance with the pos

sibilities available under the planning techniques provided

by Polish law [20]. In line with the scope of the draft local

plan, the concept of the structure of public spaces was trans

lated into areas of: roads (streets), pedestrian routes, public

squares and green areas, with additional designation of pe

destrian links within residential areas. Mandatory building

lines and additional designations and provisions for the for

mation of frontages were set for the development areas.

In the rst of the described cases, Tczew, the realization

to date of the development of about a quarter of the site

allowed a preliminary evaluation of the translation of the

provisions of the local plan into the emerging build envi

ronment.

New Service Centre

on post-military area, Tczew

Subject of the competition and the development plan,

as well as baseline conditions

The subject of the concept and plan was to determine

the principles of transforming a postmilitary site with an

area of 18.6 ha to new urban functions. In 2011, the unit of

the 16

Tczew Sapper Battalion was decommissioned, and

the area was excluded from the closed areas of the Minis

try of National Defence and transferred to the ownership

of the Municipality of Tczew. The area is located at the in

tersection of the city’s two main transportation routes, i.e.,

Solidarności Avenue and Wojska Polskiego Street, leading

from the historic centre of the city to the A1 highway. The

site lies about 700 m from the railway station with a trans

fer centre, and about 1 km from the historic centre by the

Vistula River. According to the competition guidelines,

this attractive location was the main premise for the reali

zation of a multifunctional urban development.

In the 2013 study of Tczew’s spatial development con

ditions and directions, the area, formerly a closed military

area [21], was designated as a development area for the

New Service Centre, classied as one of the city’s four

prestige sites, with a recommendation to combine the func

tions of general urban and supralocal services, residential

and commercial [22]. In order to nd the optimal way to

use this area, the city organized a study urbanarchitectural

competition for the development of the “New Service Cen

tre”. The organizers’ goal was described as to select the best

solution to create a contemporary, attractive urban space

and strengthen Tczew’s role and image in the region [23].

Research by design

in elaborating the competition entry

Although the regulations assumed the creation of a new

multifunctional district, integrated into the existing struc

ture of the city, no specic spatial guidelines were included,

and the analysis of conditions and the resulting decisions

were left to the competition participants. In the competi

tion work (by M. Stangel, M. Ulk) [24], the assumption

was made that the New Service Centre should be a com

plete, mixeduse urban district, and in accordance with the

idea of a compact city, the built form should be based on

a system of attractive public spaces, integrated with the

surroundings. The basis for shaping the spatial structure

was the acknowledgement of existing premises: a military

avenue, paths and existing trees, planted along fences and

roads, and selfsown trees in loose groups. Although the

vegetation cover and habitat had been heavily transformed

as a result of the military’s use of the site and the unit’s de

commissioning work, it was assumed that all trees matter,

and should be incorporated in the creation of a sequence of

public spaces – squares, streets, squares, pedestrian routes

and designated green areas (Fig. 1).

A detailed analysis of the site made it possible to de

termine connections with the surroundings and to propose

a canvass of public space, which consisted of: Saperów

Street, in the course of the former barracks alley, shaped

with the use of rows of trees; the square behind the existing

barracks building, composed with the use of the existing

valuable tree stand; two squares in the place of the existing

valuable groups of greenery; as well as access streets and

pedestrian routes providing links to nearby neighbourhoods

and in the direction of the interchange, the Old Town and

the boulevard on the Vistula River. It was assumed that

such a structure would provide a good basis for developing

sustainable mobility.

Three main functional zones have been proposed:

amenities functions, located in the northern part of the

study area; service and industrial areas – Technology Park

– the southern part of the study area; service and residential

areas – a band on the eastern side from Saperów Street,

next to existing residential buildings. In the northern part,

the development layout was subordinated to the principle

of shaping public spaces, delineating quarters of buildings

of medium height, with point dominants. The share of

100 Michał Stangel

the residential function is necessary in the New Service

Centre to ensure the multifunctionality and activity at dif

ferent times of the day of the complete district. Quarters

of compact urban development have been proposed: on

the upper oors – apartments; in the rst oors along the

street – centralizing services. This

structure should reduce

trac needs, ensuring that needs can be met locally. The

fragmentation of the frontage blocks was aimed at creating

a compact urban fabric, which is a contemporary interpre

tation of the historic fabric such as the downtown of Tczew.

A detailed analysis of the site’s edges allowed establishing

several links to the neighbouring structure: paths, continu

ous green spaces and building forms.

The competition work included a synthesis of the pro

posal in the form of a diagram of the structure of public

spaces and key development frontages (Fig. 2). Based on

Fig. 2. Schematic of the urban structure proposed in the competition concept (elaborated by M. Stangel, M. Ulfik)

Il. 2. Schemat struktury urbanistycznej zaproponowanej w koncepcji konkursowej (oprac. M. Stangel, M. Ulfik)

Fig. 1. Urban design visualization of the winning competition concept (elaborated by M. Stangel, M. Ulfik)

Il. 1. Wizualizacja urbanistyczna zwycięskiej koncepcji konkursowej (oprac. M. Stangel, M. Ulfik)

Adapting the compact city model: from competition concepts to planning documents 101

this structure, several possible scenarios for the develop

ment of future development were also sketched, with the

assumption that within dierent future conditions and mar

ket forces, several forms and functions of individual build

ings would be possible, but any scenario could maintain

shaping the main public spaces to ensure the quality of ur

ban space (Fig. 3).

Post-competition concept

and local development plan regulations

The presented concept was awarded the rst prize as the

one that best meets the objectives of the competition; pri 

marily for shaping the urban structure with sensitivity to the

existing qualities of the area and the neighbourhood to

Fig. 3. Sketches of possible

development scenarios based on

the proposed urban structure

(elaborated by M. Stangel)

Il. 3. Szkice możliwych

scenariuszy zabudowy

na bazie zaproponowanej

struktury urbanistycznej

(oprac. M. Stangel)

102 Michał Stangel

a much greater extent than the other works, which proposed

mainly architectural solutions (those works be easily found

in the Internet). With the award, the jury formulated guide

lines for further development regarding, and suggested:

– elaborating indepth analyses of the existing and de

signed transportation system, including detailing how to

shape parking lots and links to the surroundings,

– clarifying pedestrian and bicycle links with the sur

roundings,

– exposing and elevating the frontage along Solidarity

Avenue,

– elaborating a dendrological inventory in order to max

imize the protection of valuable tree stands and shape pub

lic spaces on their basis,

– preservation of the retention basin,

– verication of technical infrastructure solutions and

rainwater retention.

The author was commissioned to elaborate a detailed

postconstruction concept, followed by a local urban devel

opment plan (Fig. 4). As part of the design review, analyses

were commissioned to specialized external companies: trans

portation and infrastructure study to Biuro Projektów Bu dow

nictwa Komunalnego S.A. (BPBK), den dro

lo gical stu dy to

44sto and ecophysiographic study to Proeko. These ana lyses

generally conrmed the design assumptions, but pro vided

guidance for rening elements of the elaboration. The pro

visions of the local plan [25] generally maintained the direc

tions derived from the concept, while the following adjust

ments were made as a result of industry verication:

– preservation of the retention basin and the formation

of green areas around it,

– expanding some green areas so as to achieve continu

ous ecological links,

– renement of the boundaries of communication areas

for optimal formation of external links and consideration

of earthworks and technical infrastrucure in road lanes.

Some examples of the textual provisions formulated in

the local development plan are as follows:

1) In the northern part of the plan area in the areas

of 1.U, 2.U, 3.U, 4.U, 6.U/MW it is required to shape

Fig. 4. Drawing of the enacted

local development plan

(elaborated by M. Stangel)

Il. 4. Rysunek uchwalonego mpzp

(oprac. M. Stangel)

Adapting the compact city model: from competition concepts to planning documents 103

the development of buildings frontages with the character

of compact urban development;

2) Fragments of facades important for the urban com-

position, marked on the drawing of the plan in the areas

of 1.U, 2.U, 3.U, 6U/MW require detailed architectural

development, taking into account the use of high-quali-

ty materials and entrances to amenities from the ground

level;

3) Along the frontages exposed in the areas of 1.U and

2.U, on the north and south sides of the square 25.KDPL it

is required to make in the rst oors of buildings commer-

cial and service display windows on the section of at least

half of the elevation of each building from the side of the

square in the area 25.KDPL [25, ch. 2, par. 6].

In 2016 the project received the award of the Minister

of Infrastructure and Construction for outstanding achieve

ments in the eld of planning and spatial development. It

was appreciated for concretizing the compact city idea for

the given site, as well as for the comprehensive approach and

planning process: from the competition entry, through a re

ned concept, to the provisions of the planning document.

Implementation and realization

On the basis of the enacted local plan, the city has suc

cessively implemented several activities to develop the

area within the framework of the New Service Centre stra

tegic project [26]. Land plots divisions have been made in

accordance with the concept, road plots have been deline

ated, the entrance to the area and one street and part of the

utilities have been realized. Plots have been systematically

sold to investors. As part of the New Barracks develop

ment run by Home4you [27], a complex of six residen

tial buildings has been completed in the eastern part, with

green areas, covering about 25% of the area. Building per

mits have already been issued for more buildings.

The realized buildings are located along the mandatory

building line set in the plan along the main avenue, but in

stead of urban blocks postulated in the concept, freestand

ing buildings were realized. This seems typical for resi

dential developments in mediumsized cities, as they are

much easier to realize within the polish building law. A few

groundoor spaces for local amenities have been realized,

but the planned program of larger amenities and services, as

well as public investments envisioned in the concept, such

as a business incubator and public space development, have

not yet been launched. However, the site remains a strate

gic municipal project, and the municipality pledges further

work in the future.

While the project will have to be evaluated in the fu

ture, so far, it seems that an undoubted positive eect of

the plan is the preservation of existing trees, and incor

porating them within the newly established local squares

between the residential buildings (Fig. 5). Also, pedestri

an links to the neighbourhood, indicated in the plan, were

formed. Given that the remaining plots for public spaces

have also been set aside in accordance with the plan, it can

be assumed, that despite the investment realities revising

the forms of particular buildings, the overall structure of

public space called for the plan will be implemented.

A new suburban, residential district, Stargard

Subject of the competition

and the development plan,

as well as baseline conditions

The subject of the concept and plan was to dene the

development principles for new residential area of about

100 ha in the Giżynek district, in the western part of Star

gard. The area in question is mostly undeveloped, agri

cultural land, with some individual buildings, a neglected

Fig. 5. Drone photograph of

the New Barracks development

completed according to the plan

(August 2021).

Visible in the foreground are

the existing trees that were

incorporated within the planned

green space zone

(elaborated by M. Stangel)

Il. 5. Fotografia z drona

(sierpień 2021) zrealizowanej

zgodnie z planem zabudowy

w ramach inwestycji Nowe

Koszary. Na pierwszym planie

zachowane zadrzewienia

w ramach planowanego

terenu zieleni

(oprac. M. Stangel)

104 Michał Stangel

palace and allotment gardens. The land was owned by the

City of Stargard Szczeciński (now: Stargard), the Agricul

tural Property Agency, the State Treasury, as well as sever

al companies and individuals.

The municipal zoning study (Fig. 6) [28] generally de

signated the area as a reserve for urban residential com

plexes, with a course of a planned bypass road. In order

to elaborate detailed assumptions for the development of

the area, the SARP Competition No. 955 for the develop

ment of a programmatic and spatial concept for the area of

the Giżynek Estate in Stargard Szczeciński was conduct

ed on behalf of the city in 2014 [29]. Participants in the

competition were to propose an urbanarchitectural idea of

the settlement as a new, attractive, integral part of the city,

which would be an alternative to chaotic suburbanization.

Similarly to the Tczew competition, the regulations did not

include specic spatial guidelines, and the analysis of the

conditions and the resulting dispositions were left to the

competition participants. The competition was also meant

to serve as a basis for elaborating the future development

plan, which would protect the area from unplanned, scat

tered development and propose a rational, harmonious

structure of residential development with amenities and

public spaces; the gradual and phased implementation of

which would meet the needs of future residents.

Research by design

in elaborating the competition entry

The winning competition concept (by M. Stangel, M. Ul 

k,

F. Piaścik) aimed at researching the possibility of de

veloping the neighbourhood as an integral neighbourhood;

a part of the city with a local centre. It was proposed that

the canvass of the development of the future new neigh

bourhood would be the structure of a sequence of public

spaces (Fig. 7). The main urban public space would be

located in the proposed local centre in the northern part

of the area, with a concentration of multifamily housing

and groundoor services, forming the frontage of a lo

cal district “market square”. The square would be linked

in the northern direction by a pedestrian route with bus

stops, and in the southern direction it would seamlessly

transition into a recreational green area. The green space

area was shaped to incorporate and preserve the existing

tree canopies in the lowered area, which are also important

for local retention. Other proposed elements of the public

space system include: an avenue formed on the axis be

tween the palace complex and the visible dominant – the

church tower in the city centre, streets with rows of trees

and service frontages, additional squares and a pedestrian

and bicycle route, which in the future would provide a link

with the planned Szczecin Metropolitan Railway stop. In

the northern part, fringe residential and service develop

ment was envisaged, which would gradually transition

southward into singlefamily terraced housing (along the

edges of the green spaces) and singlefamily detached and

semidetached housing. Amenities, including an elementa

ry school, are also envisioned (Fig. 8).

In the justication for the rst prize, the jury’s opinion

stated that the proposed urban fabric is aptly and rationally

based on transportation nodes, including the proposed lo

cation of the rail bus stop. The scale of the development,

the degree of urbanization of the area matching the scale

and nature of the interface between urban and rural areas,

as well as the composition of the urbanarchitectural layout

of the public spaces of the local centre, the clear consider

ation of the existing greenery, the landscaping of the area

with surface water and the palace were highly appreciated

[29]. Since the competition regulations did not specify the

assumed absorptive capacity of the site, the authors, based

on their analysis and the assumptions made, most correct

ly, according to the jury, assumed the intensity of develop

ment, allocating nearly half of the site for a green reserve.

In contrast, other competition entries proposed intensive

Fig. 6. The study area

as a residential land reserve

in the 2013 municipal

development study (source: [28])

Il. 6. Obszar opracowania

jako teren rezerwy terenów

mieszkaniowych w studium

z 2013 r. (źródło: [28])

Adapting the compact city model: from competition concepts to planning documents 105

development of most of the site, and thus a much more

modest share of green space [30].

Findings of the mpzp

Based on the results of the competition, a procedure was

carried out to amend the study of land use conditions and

directions, and then to develop a mpzp. The study included

the general designation of areas for residential development

and green areas. In the local plan, the competition solutions

were veried, maintaining the proposed principles of shap

ing areas for residential and service development, commu

nication links and sequences of public spaces. At the stage

of developing the plan, the verication of the functional

and spatial structure included the following issues:

– correction of the course of some roads to take into

account the course of the existing gas pipeline (in the con

ditions of the competition it was assumed that the gas pipe

line could be relocated, but later it was considered more

economical to keep it in the existing course),

–

simplifying the route of the bypass, taking into account

its route through the area of the archaeological site, which

could be closed once the archaeological study is completed,

– correction of the course of the local road to obtain

view closures: the palace and the church tower,

– taking into account the results of natural analyses of

the preservation of valuable existing tree canopies,

– allocation of land in the southern part of the study area

for recreational and sports functions and surface rainwater

retention.

Fig. 7. Schematic of the urban

structure proposed in

the competition concept

(elaborated by M. Stangel,

M. Ulfik)

Il. 7. Schemat struktury

urbanistycznej zaproponowanej

w koncepcji konkursowej

(oprac. M. Stangel, M. Ulfik)

Fig. 8. Urban design visualization

of the competition concept

(elaborated by M. Stangel,

M. Ulfik, F. Piaścik)

Il. 8. Wizualizacja urbanistyczna

koncepcji konkursowej

(oprac. M. Stangel,

M. Ulfik, F. Piaścik)

106 Michał Stangel

An important issue to be resolved at the stage of formu

lating the plan’s ndings was whether to sanction only the

main prejudices of the functional and spatial structure in

the plan, leaving greater freedom to future designers of de

velopment complexes, or to include more detailed arrange

ments that could in the future ensure greater consistency of

development and spatial order. Since opinions among the

representatives of the commissioner of the study were divid

ed, two working variants of the plan drawing were prepared.

The rst variant takes into account the basic transpor

tation system, separating larger residential and commer

cial development units of several hectares, and establish

ing mandatory building lines only in the most important

places for the spatial structure: in the frontages of designed

squares, squares and selected street sections (Fig. 9).

In contrast, the second variant, which was eventually

selected for enactment, took into account a more detailed

grid of access and internal roads, the fragmentation of

development areas with a more precise indication of the

distinction between lowintensity and highintensity resi

dential development with services (Fig. 10). Also included

are more elements of shaping the urban structure, such as

mandatory and impassable building lines, rows of trees,

additional areas of landscaped greenery, existing trees to

be preserved, recommended division into building and ac

cess lots. In addition, the […] location of compact frontage

development and accented façade fragments important for

the urban composition [31] were introduced as a mandato

ry element of the plan’s ndings designated on the drawing.

In the textual arrangements of the plan, in order to es

tablish the spatial order, including frontages at the most

important places in the public space, the following provi

sions were formulated:

§ 6. 1. The objective of the plan is to establish a function-

al and spatial structure of new urban areas while prevent-

ing haphazard and scattered development in the area. The

plan aims to create a residential area that includes both

multi-family and individual housing, along with the neces-

sary amenities and infrastructure. The gradual and phased

implementation of the plan will enable the fullment of the

basic needs of future residents, as well as the development

of sports and recreational areas and green spaces.

2. Principles of protection and formation of spatial or-

der for the plan area:

1) In the northern part of the plan area, in the MW/U ar-

eas, in the places marked on the drawing of the plan, an

order to shape the buildings with the character of compact

frontage development, with services on the rst oor, en-

closing public spaces;

2) Fragments of façades important for the urban com -

position, marked on the drawing of the plan, in the MW/U

areas require detailed architectural development, taking into

Fig. 9. Drawing of the local development plan – working variant with fewer findings (elaborated by M. Stangel)

Il. 9. Rysunek mpzp – wariant roboczy z mniejszą liczbą ustaleń (oprac. M. Stangel)

Adapting the compact city model: from competition concepts to planning documents 107

account the use of high-quality materials, entrances to

build ings from ground level, and the order to make in the

rst oors of buildings commercial and retail storefronts on

at least half of the façade of each building on the side of the

KDX pedestrian routes [31, Ch. 2, par. 3].

In addition, in the detailed arrangements for the areas

marked on the drawing of the plan with the symbol MW/U –

areas of residential and service development, located next

to the shaped public spaces – an order was formulated:

In the areas of 3.MW/U, 4.MW/U and 5.MW/U for de-

velopments located on the border with pedestrian trac

areas and road 43.KDL, as shown in the drawing of the

plan, it is required to locate compact frontage develop-

ment, with service functions on the rst oor, with entranc-

es to service premises directly accessible from the level of

public squares, KDX pedestrian routes and road 43.KD.L

[31, Ch. 3, par. 13].

Summary and conclusions

For shaping urban areas in the context of the challenges

of sustainable development, the idea of the compact city,

which postulates the intensication of development and

the shuing of functions while shaping a system of public

spaces, is now widely adopted. The implementation of this

model at the local level and the translation to the specics

of individual locations requires the adaptation of universal

principles to a specic site.

The article presented two initiatives of Polish medi

umsized cities concerning the shaping of space, based on

a study architectural and urban planning competition. The

assumptions of the winning entries were then veried on

the basis of the jury’s guidelines and branch studies and

conceptual studies (environmental, communication, infra

structural, ownership, etc.), and then translated to the pro

visions of local spatial development plans.

The author’s concepts assume that the investment re

alities of mediumsized cities do not allow for the forma

tion of an intensive quarter structure, typical of a compact

city, but it is possible to delineate elements of a relatively

denser urban structure – development frontages, services,

public spaces – in key locations that would constitute the

nodal points of the future district. Reection on the pro

posed

solutions made it possible to identify components

that can provide guidance for similar urban themes. Among

the most

important of these are:

– the formation of a sequence of diverse public spac

es as the canvass of the future urban structure, containing

such elements as a city square, square, arcade, avenues and

neighbourhood streets,

– taking into account the existing tree canopies as the

basis for the formation of the layout of public spaces, with

Fig. 10. Drawing of the enacted local development plan (elaborated by M. Stangel)

Il. 10. Rysunek uchwalonego mpzp (oprac. M. Stangel)

108 Michał Stangel

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the addition of new green areas, rows of trees along the

streets and isolation green zones,

– adaptation of land depressions and green areas to cre

ate optimal conditions for local rainwater retention,

– shaping active frontages of buildings enclosing the

public spaces by establishing binding building lines and

additional arrangements of the development plan, both on

the drawing and in the building form indicators in the tex

tual arrangements,

– arrangements on the drawing of the plan with key

places which are important for the urban composition, with

a gradation of the strictness of regulatory provisions: from

strict provisions in key places – nodes of the spatial struc

ture, to greater exibility in less important places,

– structural elements to promote sustainable mobility,

such as pedestrian and bicycle routes, a grid of neighbour

hood streets, as well as clear spatial links to public trans

portation stops.

The described concepts and local development plans

aimed at concretizing the idea of the compact city in the re

alities of mediumsized cities in Poland, showing both the

possibilities of its implementation and the challenges of

adapting general principles to the local context. The analy

sis of the cases presented in the article can contribute to the

improvement of practices and research work related to the

materialization of the ideas of the compact city and their

implementation in relation to individual locations, as well

as to the ways of translating the concept into the provisions

of local plans. The described cases are undoubtedly also

an example of the inadequacy of the planning instruments

available in Poland, as pointed out by numerous critical

studies (e.g., [32]).

The 2023 amendment to the Spatial Planning and De

velopment Act [13] introduced changes to improve the

ineective planning mechanisms in Poland. At the stage

of adopting the law, one of the demands was to strengthen

the role of urban design and to include the development of

an urban design concept as one of the mandatory elements

of spatial planning for the development of urban builtup

areas. In the end, this was not included in the law. Nev

ertheless, numerous examples of successive architectural

and urban design competitions held in recent years show

the spread of the idea of the compact city. In this context,

it is advisable to improve the methods of shaping the ur

ban structure and to translate the solutions developed in the

processes of research by design into planning regulations

and standards.

Translated by

Michał Stangel

Adapting the compact city model: from competition concepts to planning documents 109

Streszczenie

Adaptacja modelu miasta zwartego w planowaniu nowych terenów miast średniej wielkości.

Od koncepcji konkursowych do planów miejscowych na przykładzie Tczewa i Stargardu

W artykule przedstawiono zagadnienie konkretyzacji idei miasta zwartego w planowaniu nowych obszarów zabudowy w miastach średniej

wielkości w Polsce. Zagadnienie to jest w nim rozpatrywane na bazie autorskich doświadczeń ze zwycięskich koncepcji konkursowych i opraco

wywanych na ich podstawie miejscowych planów zagospodarowania przestrzennego. Opisane zostały dwa przykłady: Nowe Centrum Usługowe

w Tczewie, położone na terenie powojskowym, oraz podmiejskie obszary mieszkaniowe w gminie Stargard.

Przedmiotem pracy jest reeksyjne badanie własnej praktyki projektowej i planistycznej. Zastosowano metodykę research by design, dotyczącą

powiązania procesów projektowych i badawczych w celu uzyskania nowej wiedzy o danej przestrzeni. Podstawowy model metodologiczny zakłada

cykl analiz, projektowania i syntezy. Punktem wyjścia była analiza uwarunkowań na bazie materiałów źródłowych, map i obserwacji w terenie.

Pozwoliła ona na wyszczególnienie kluczowych elementów dla kształtowania nowej struktury. Studia te pozwoliły na skonkretyzowanie założeń

projektowych i opracowanie koncepcji, których syntezą i werykacją było opracowanie planów miejscowych, zgodnie z możliwościami dostępnymi

w ramach techniki planistycznej.

Na podstawie przedstawionej analizy można wnosić, że model miasta zwartego, uznawany za kluczowy w kontekście zrównoważonego rozwoju,

wymaga indywidualnego podejścia przy adaptacji do lokalnych uwarunkowań. Prezentowane przykłady z miast średniej wielkości w Polsce mogą

dać wiele praktycznych wskazówek, dotyczących m.in.: wykorzystania konkursów do określenia przyszłej wizji przestrzeni, kształtowania systemu

przestrzeni publicznej w oparciu o lokalne walory czy werykacji założeń konkursowych w procesie planistycznym.

W kontekście zmian w Ustawie o planowaniu i zagospodarowaniu przestrzennym z 2023 r., choć nie doszło do formalnego wzmocnienia roli

projektowania urbanistycznego w procesie planistycznym, obserwuje się rosnącą popularność idei miasta zwartego w praktyce. Istnieje zatem po

trzeba doskonalenia metod kształtowania miejskiej struktury, zwłaszcza z wykorzystaniem badań przedprojektowych. Przedstawione wnioski mogą

przyczynić się do doskonalenia praktyk planistycznych oraz efektywnego wdrażania idei miasta zwartego w planowaniu nowych obszarów miast

średniej wielkości.

Słowa kluczowe: miasto zwarte, przestrzeń publiczna, konkurs urbanistycznoarchitektoniczny, koncepcja urbanistyczna, planowanie miejscowe,

SDG11

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