Krakow's Board of Urban Greenery is not idle - in addition to organizing numerous walks, educational classes and participatory projects, new green spaces are regularly made available to Krakow residents. From time to time, however, as part of its activities, decisions are made that may seem incomprehensible to many. One such decision was the choice of steel paving in the new pocket park under construction on Kolista Street in Ruczaj. Why was such a material chosen, what advantages and disadvantages does it have, and could it have been solved better?
There has been a lot of buzz in the Krakow media in recent days about the construction of a pocket park on Kolista Street in Ruczaj. The attention of Cracovians was drawn to the material used to make the park's alleys. For these are neither paved nor lined with stone, but assembled from metal gratings in the form of a path elevated several centimeters above ground level. Residents questioned the sense of such a solution, having safety concerns - as the media reported, one child was said to have injured himself while playing in the still unfinished park. The problem has become so high-profile that a Krakow councilman, Lukasz Maślona, even submitted an interpellation to the Mayor of Krakow on the matter. But is there really anything to be afraid of?
Bridge grates in a pocket park on Kolista Street in Krakow
Photo: Przemyslaw Ciępka
New pocket park on Ruczaj
The pocket park on Kolista Street is a project being developed as part of Kraków's civic budget. Already five years ago, right next door, the Board of Urban Greenery developed part of the green area near Lubostroń Street in the form of a dog run. This time it was time for a space for residents. The project for the new green enclave involved the development of about 5,000 square meters of neglected land belonging to the city. As part of its implementation, small architecture was created, a relatively small amount of planting was done (plants had long been plentiful there) and numerous pedestrian routes were routed between the overgrown trees. For the latter task, mineral paving, concrete tiles and controversial bridge plates were used, making up most of the material used.
Bridge gratings in the pocket park on Kolista Street in Krakow
Photo: Przemyslaw Ciępka
with a grating underfoot
Why was such a solution chosen? From an interview with Lukasz Pawlik, director of the Board of Urban Greenery in Krakow, we learned that landscape designers decided to introduce gratings because of the characteristics of the land where the park was developed. The soil in the area is extremely wet, so without draining and thus changing the existing natural conditions, the use of paved or wooden pavement was not the preferred solution. Attempts were also made to avoid damaging root systems.
Bridge grates in the pocket park on Kolista Street in Krakow
Photo: Przemyslaw Ciępka
not such a terrible grating as they paint it
The park on Kolista street is not the first green project in Cracow where metal gratings were used. Similar paths were solved, among others, during the development of Fort Borek and in the Weed Garden of Krakowians on Wadowicka Street, designed by landscape design studio LandArch. We asked the designer of this space, Małgorzata Tujko, about the validity of such a solution:
The use of bridging grates is most justifiable in the case of spaces where there is a very dense tree canopy with a superficially located root system, or differences in terrain that would require the root system to be uncovered or buried. Such pavements are set on point foundations, which eliminate the risk of collision with trees - thanks to them, the pedestrian route can "hug" the existing trees and even incorporate them into the pavement, but care must be taken to leave adequate space, taking into account the growth of the tree. It is rational to use it where we cannot introduce traditional paving. Moreover, it is a water-permeable pavement, under which cover vegetation, herbs and perennials can appear. In areas frequented by children, where heavy traffic occurs, such as in the case of the Vistula Station Park, it is actually the only place where plants can develop without hindrance. Such a solution also has its drawbacks in the form of high costs, complexity of the implementation process and limited number of users. This mainly concerns people walking in pins and dogs. In practice, a dog owner can always choose a trellis, and his pet will get his paws wet during the walk anyway, so there is nothing to prevent him from walking next to it on the ground.
In the case of the pocket park on Kolista Street, the main concern is the proximity of the dog run located directly next door. However, as Lukasz Pawlik explains, for the four-legged dogs and their owners there are pedestrian paths made of pavement that will not cause any trouble for the animals. Walking on such pavement, however, can be problematic for blind or visually impaired people, who help themselves with white canes to navigate.
Surfacing in the "Bird Garden of Krakowians" pocket park on Stefana Bobrowskiego Street in Krakow
Photo: Przemyslaw Ciępka
How about wood?
But is there any alternative to the metal lattice, which, despite its advantages, raises doubts among many residents? Similar, elevated above ground level paths were created as part of the work on the Bird Garden of Krakowians between Stefana Bobrowskiego and Grzegórzecka streets in Krakow. In this case, however, a wooden surface was used, with the help of which the winding alleys were laid. Although accidentally hitting the edge of such a path can still be painful, it certainly doesn't pose as much of a threat as close contact with the surface of a bridge grate. Aesthetics also seem to favor the solution used in the park on Bobrowskiego Street.
Surfacing in the "Bird Garden of Krakowians" pocket park on Stefana Bobrowskiego Street in Krakow
Photo: Przemyslaw Ciępka
At the same time, wood retains the most important advantage of its steel counterpart - water permeability. When it rains, the boards soak up rainwater, allowing it to flow freely into the ground. The park at Stefan Bobrowski is, by the way, a great example of how to promote retention with the help of natural materials. In addition to wooden paving, there appear paths lined with large, flat-profiled stones, which have been set directly into the ground. The gaps between them have not been sealed, and the accumulating water is absorbed into the soil. From the point of view of retention, small architecture was also effectively solved - small park interiors with benches and tables, separated from the rest of the park space by wooden pegs. Underneath them was a natural, compacted mixture of wooden chips.
Surfacing in the "Bird Garden of Krakowians" pocket park on Stefan Bobrowski Street in Krakow
Photo: Przemyslaw Ciępka
a rotten problem
However, it turns out that in addition to its numerous advantages, wood also has an extremely significant disadvantage, which in many cases can eliminate the possibility of its use:
Wood in public spaces is a shorter-term alternative. In the Polish climate, wooden pavements require significant maintenance and upkeep. Bridge grating is a solution that virtually eliminates ongoing costs. Exotic wood, on the other hand, should not be used in urban spaces due to the carbon footprint it generates and its often uncontrolled source of acquisition.
- explains Malgorzata Tujko.
In the case of the Ruczaj pocket park, the high humidity of the area probably played an important role, which would have accelerated the degradation of the wooden elements. As mentioned by Lukasz Pawlik, director of the Board of Urban Greenery in Krakow, composite materials could also be an alternative. These, however, are much more expensive than bridge gratings, and they also reduce the amount of light reaching the plants growing under them.
Bridging gratings in a pocket park on Kolista Street in Krakow
Photo: Przemyslaw Ciępka
is there anything to fear?
Although still fenced with trellises, the park on Kolista Street in Krakow is now almost ready - in addition to lush vegetation, including many trees that have been growing there for a long time, new plantings, such as funckies, are already greening up. It looks like the small architecture is also ready, mainly benches and trash garbage cans. A metal path winds between them , which, while good from the point of view of retention, urban vegetation and economy, has not aroused the sympathy of residents. Perhaps, however, in reality there is nothing to fear?
