More and more European cities today are betting on the return of nature to cities. However, it's not just about more squares, even lawns or trimmed flower beds, but something much deeper - urban renaturalization, that is, restoring natural ecological processes in urban space. Kraków's master plan for the Wesoła district is a step in this direction, but is it bold enough?
Wesoła as the new green heart of Krakow?
After years of anticipation, details of the master plan for Wesoła - nine hectares in the heart of Krakow, reclaimed from the former University Hospital - were presented on May 5. The Cultural Quarter, headquarters for institutions, homes for artists, new buildings - such as Mediateka and the Center for Theater Practices - and plenty of greenery are to be built here. The city of Krakow on Wesola is to gain a cultural center. There will be space for a meadow of events, a terrace with an accommodation garden, a small pond and a water mirror. It is a well-designed, but nevertheless controlled nature.
Master Plan for Wesola - © mat. provided courtesy of the task team developing the Master Plan for Wesola.
The team developing the Masterplan was right to bet on the urban "opening" of Wesoła. The space, inaccessible for years, is to gain entrances from four sides of the city, links to the Botanical Garden, Railway Park, university campuses or the Central Station. Existing walls and fences are to be demolished, and pedestrians will gain priority, alleys, walking paths and a pedestrian-bicycle axis.
This all sounds good. But is true accessibility just a matter of sidewalks and access directions? There is growing talk of ecological and climatic accessibility - understood as the creation of spaces that support life, not just traffic.
Master Plan for Wesoła - © mat. provided courtesy of the task force creating the Master Plan for Wesoła
Rewilding and re-naturalization - what are other cities doing?
Meanwhile, Europe is going further. Rewilding, renaturalizing cities means not just designing greenery, but giving space back to nature. Examples?
In Olomouc, Czech Republic, the Morava River Rewilding project has restored natural floodplains and riverside habitats that act as natural water retention and filtration systems.
Peri-urban forestry implemented in Germany or Belgium, among others, involves planting native forests around cities, promoting biodiversity, carbon sequestration and cooling microclimates.
In Western European countries such as France and Germany, areas left over from quarries and gravel pits are being transformed into urban nature reserves - such as Naturpark Südgelände in Berlin - and wasteland is being transformed into habitats for pollinators and wild meadows protected by plant succession.
Such nature does not need a composition plan. It lives, changes, regenerates - and that's why it works.
Krakow's plan for Wesola is a project based on urban analysis and public consultation, taking into account greenery and water. However, it's still a largely planned and organized space. Parks and playgrounds are needed, but it lacks the courage to let nature act on its own. Cities should include zones where man interferes as little as possible: wild thickets, natural ponds, gardens that regenerate themselves. These act as retention sponges, islands of coolness and oases for birds, insects and people.
Master Plan for Wesola - © mat. provided courtesy of the task team creating the Master Plan for Wesola
New buildings, new concrete, new emissions
The project calls for the construction of several brand-new facilities: Mediatheque, the Center for Theater Practices, and a new Design Pharmacy. The latter is to replace an existing building - slated for demolition. The decision contradicts the principles of sustainable urbanism and the re-use movement in architecture, which emphasizes the need to reuse resources. After all, each new building is generating CO₂ emissions during the construction phase, especially with materials such as concrete and steel.
All of the historic buildings of the former University Hospital are under conservation protection - and are preserved in accordance with these provisions. However, it is clear that what was not under protection was deemed to be of no value and slated for demolition. The building of the current Design Pharmacy, although still in use and embedded in local memory, is to disappear - to make room for a new development with higher aesthetics and the function of a viewing terrace. This approach ignores the adaptive potential of the existing structure, and shows that value is nowadays measured by a landmark listing rather than the potential for reuse.
So if a project is to be green - it must be green in its entirety, not just in name. Today's standards are no longer based on how green a roof is, but on whether we need to build something from scratch at all.
Master Plan for Wesola - © mat. provided courtesy of the task force creating the Master Plan for Wesola
Wesoła: a step in the right direction, but time for more
Wesoła, with its meadow in the center, planned pond and green roofs, is undoubtedly an example of greener urban thinking. But since we already have access to knowledge on how to create climate-resilient and biodiversity-friendly spaces, it's worth asking: shouldn't Krakow go further? At the presentation of the project, I was unfortunately accompanied by disappointment. Instead of more "aesthetic and neat" places, it is worth creating spaces that are wild, changing, alive. The kind that work without the need for constant pruning, watering and monitoring. Those that are a true home for nature, not just its scenery.
Cities of the future are not only about architecture and culture, but also about ecology. The master plan for Wesola is a needed project, but it is worth making it a starting point for further, bolder actions. It's time to give more space back to nature - not only the one planned by architects, but also the one that grows on its own, according to its own rules.
