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"An invariable putty that is getting harder and harder to deal with is the lack of central regulation of short-term rentals."

21 of January '25

Finally! We have a passageway near the Gdansk Główny train station through one of the most important arteries in Downtown! Previously, getting to streetcar stops or the Main City for many was a road through agony. In Gdansk 2024, after years of privileging motorists, measures that improve the comfort of pedestrians relegated to tunnels for years were particularly welcome. Above-ground crossings are also slowly springing up in neighborhoods, where residents have been demanding them for years. The joy would be greater, however, if the changes were not taking place at a snail's pace. The more hasty investments are being handed over several years behind the announcements (we waited seven years for the crosswalk by the train station!).

I very much hoped that the hit would turn out to be the development of the Young City in Gdansk - a new district being built on post-shipyard land. Expectations - due to its downtown location, historical context, but also years of debates about the future of the district - were huge. The investment stalemate (related to land entries in the register of monuments and disputes between the Pomeranian Voivodeship Historic Preservation Officer and investors) has finally been broken after years, and new investments are underway in the Young City. Only that they are mainly residential, and some of the units are going for short-term rent. And although the plans were ambitious: the mixed-use district was to offer not only apartments, but also retail, services and offices, developers began trimming projects from the latter. Construction of office buildings within several key developments was halted or canceled: Doki, Crane, Central, and Palio Office. In their place, developers are today considering building... apartments for rent or dormitories under the "developer lex." To make matters worse, discussions about what functions should be built in the Young City so that it doesn't become another Airbnb enclave are lacking.

A hit, however, are the grassroots initiatives inspired by a handful of enthusiasts that make the post-shipyard area teem with entertainment and recreational activities (mostly in the summer, but that too is changing): 100cznia, Elektryków Street, WL4. The space, which is open to all, is being expanded year by year with new functions - not only for nightlife, but also for greenery and recreation. Plans are underway to adapt more historic buildings for artists' studios, exhibition and catering space.

Invariably, a putty that is getting harder and harder to deal with is the lack of central regulation of short-term rentals, which causes more residents to move out of the downtown areas of attractive cities. And with them, the services needed for locals to live. The problem is well seen in Gdansk: investment apartments and daily rentals are spilling further and further out. Non-flats, i.e. apartments to live in, are exceptions on the investment map of downtown Gdansk today. And while cities such as Sopot, Gdansk and Krakow have been calling for years for legislation to regulate the issue, under the previous government there was a lack of will to curb short-term rentals. But the new government, too - aside from promises to regulate the issue - has still done nothing.

Ewa Karendys

more: A&B 1/2025 - Wood in architecture,
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