Spatial Order. Why is it ugly in Poland?

Spatial order is a broad and general concept that has a significant impact on public spaces. In addition, it is a subjective and relative concept, so it is difficult to have a universal definition of it. In the context of this article, spatial order will be understood as a multidimensional way of shaping space, the main goal of which is to achieve harmony, legibility and proportionality. Its formation should take into account social, economic, natural and cultural needs. The space, which is shaped with spatial order in mind, is tidy, of high compositional and aesthetic values, and the objects are situated in accordance with their nature and functions they are to perform.

The characteristics of a space designed according to spatial order are most often defined as:

• the harmonious arrangement of space and the presence of hierarchy in a particular arrangement of elements,
• the balance of individual components in the organisation of space and the purposeful distribution of functions (intentionality),
• the best use of space aiming to meet human needs in the most effective way (efficiency),
• associating the interest of the individual with the general good and coordinating development with higher-level needs (coordination),
• compatibility of the transformations with the environmental conditions and lack of collision of functions and spatial conflicts (conflict-free and sustainable development).

To make it easier to understand the defined term, specialists have ‘broken down’ spatial order into its constituent elements:

The first element is the urban and architectural order, which is directly related to the spatial structure, the arrangement of elements (e.g. green areas, small architecture), their size, shape and location, as well as the legibility of the structure. The second element is social order, which is a resultant of the formed networks of social relations, their durability, identification with a place, as well as aspects related to the sense of security. There is also functional order resulting from the coexistence of various functions and relations between them, saturation with social infrastructure and other utility values. Important for residents, as well as tourists and investors, determining the attractiveness of the place is also the aesthetic order, which refers to the beauty of the place, neatness and sense of order, as well as the presence of dominants improving the legibility of this space. The last one is the ecological order, having to do with the value and condition of the natural environment, nature protection, which in turn translates into the quality of life of the inhabitants, thus influencing the social order. Urban planners and architects most often understand spatial order in terms of ‘composition and aesthetics’, but spatial order is an interdisciplinary concept and should be considered more broadly, going beyond the above-mentioned point of view to include economics, politics, history and environmental protection.

It should also be borne in mind that the use of terms ‘spatial order’ and ‘spatial aesthetics’ interchangeably is incorrect, as spatial order is a broader and deeper concept. The depth of this term lies in the fact that spatial order, in addition to satisfying the basic physical needs of humans in the environment, is also aimed at satisfying spiritual and psychological needs, i.e., among others, the need for identification with a given environment or a sense of security. Spatial order should be treated comprehensively, and one of its elements is aesthetics.

The condition of spatial order in Poland

In Polish legislation, the phrase ‘spatial order’ was used for the first time in 1994 in the Act on Spatial Development. The official definition, which was introduced to the Act on spatial planning and development of 2003, states that spatial order ’is such a configuration of space, which creates a harmonious whole and takes into account all functional, socio-economic, environmental, cultural, compositional and aesthetic conditions and requirements in orderly relations’. In spatial planning, aspects related to respecting spatial order are required by law. The fact is that it is municipality that is responsible for this planning, which therefore should be equipped with competences and is responsible for the implementation of the spatial order, mainly through reliable and well thought-out Local Spatial Development Plans and the Study of Conditions and Directions of Spatial Development.

It is not a secret that the Polish space has unfortunately little to do with spatial order, and its condition is hardly satisfactory. The biggest problems of space in Poland include its lack of context, diversity in the bad sense of the word, disorder and lack of consistency. The problem is increasingly recognized by the public and discussions are being held about it. There are situations in which architects and urban planners succumb to fashion and investors, allowing for the so-called point architecture, i.e. architecture that does not fit into the surroundings and is out of context with the existing buildings. One of the reasons for this is the lack of planning concepts and people in charge. However, it cannot be said that every space in Poland is in bad condition, there are fragmentary positive examples on the scale of the city or its districts, but they are too rare to explicitly acknowledge the spatial order in Poland exists. On the other hand, if we focus on spatial order on a national, provincial or even municipal scale, we have to admit that it remains so far only an ambition.

PHOTO. 1. SPATIAL CHAOS IN POLAND ON THE EXAMPLE OF WARSAW

source: https://businessinsider.com.pl/ (access: 2021-06-16)

There are many reasons for this. The first and most frequently mentioned is the low architectural awareness and low aesthetic culture in the context of the surrounding space of Polish society. The possibilities are great, but inappropriate use of them is the cause of spatial chaos, and developing architectural and aesthetic taste is a long process, especially since this subject is discussed almost exclusively at art schools.

The literature divides the factors considered to be the cause of spatial disorder. These are legal and social reasons. Legal reasons include factors such as:

• lack of enforcement capacity,
• legislative gaps,
• lack of spatial concepts,
• low number of adopted local spatial development plans and their low precision.

It happens quite often that the only “impassable” provisions are such elements as the impassable building line or the maximum percentage of biologically active area. Such parameters as the type of materials used, the height of the development, the colour scheme or the manner of introducing greenery are defined in a very general way, as a result of which the investors have a lot of freedom in making deviations from construction projects. Moreover, in Poland the concept of the superiority of private interest over public interest is extremely ingrained, and consequently space is perceived only within the framework of one’s own property, which makes it difficult to convince e.g. investors to apply solutions compliant with spatial order, as they hide behind the right to the property. An important legal factor is the lack of a provision on spatial order in the Constitution, which is very often the case in Western European countries.

Social causes are:

• lack of financial resources,
• low social culture (e.g. belief in the primacy of private over public interest),
• low aesthetic culture,
• the current condition of the space (lack of role models),
• the desire to break away from the architecture of the People’s Republic of Poland, which resulted in a great variety of architectural forms, saturation with ornaments and kitschiness.

Spatial disorder is often the result of a combination of a bad situation and considerable socio-economic contrasts, together with corruption and the impotence of the law. Spatial chaos unfortunately leads to the death of the human friendly and comfortable city.

Recently in the Polish public space we can observe a phenomenon called ‘aestheticization’. In the simplest terms, these are activities strongly related to heritage and identity, aimed at improving the physiognomy of the city, increasing its aesthetic value. This is an arduous and difficult process, as it often requires a change in the attitude and thinking of the inhabitants, moreover in some cases also the identity of the city or the neighbourhood. These are usually actions involving the protection of historical monuments, aestheticization of the city background through the introduction of such elements as vegetation, small architecture, works of art, but respecting the spatial order and the principle of space cohesion. Such processes are important because through them the structure and urban space can be transformed. An example that did not quite fulfil the role of aestheticization is the open city gallery (Galeria Murrr), which was opened in Praga Północ (Warsaw) on the walls of the Frito Lay factory, where the foundation “Bęc Zmiana” decided to extract some colour and life from this space by allowing the presentation of modern large-format works. As a result, various artists placed their works of art on the wall in various themes.

PHOTO 2. GALERIA MURRR IN PRAGA PÓŁNOC, WARSAW

source: https://warszawa.wyborcza.pl/ (access: 2021-06-16)

The problem with this idea is that such a gallery could be created in any other space in the city, and the reaction of the inhabitants would be the same – indifferent, not starting a discussion, because the works did not ’touch’ their viewers in any way. This form of aestheticization merely marked a fragment of the city with an indication of how it should look. A contrast to the above example is the art installation “Greetings from Jerozolimskie Avenue” by Joanna Rajkowska. The project was inspired by the artist’s experiences, which in the process of creation she combined with the features and specificity of that place. The success lies in the importance the author attaches to the ‘place’ she chooses and boldly transforms, without imposing any interpretation, which is very important in this process. This art installation generates impulses for discussion about this space. To this day, the Palm evokes extreme emotions and divides the capital’s inhabitants into those open to change and different interpretations, and the followers of tradition.

PHOTO 3. ART INSTALLATION “GREETINGS FROM JEROZOLIMSKIE AVENUE”

source: https://www.odkrywamyzakryte.com/ (access: 2021-06-16)

Summary

Spatial order is an objective of spatial management and together with the principles of sustainable development form a reference system for all activities undertaken in this respect. It is an interdisciplinary concept. It brings coherence, order and harmony to the public space. In Poland, its condition is not satisfactory, we are very often dealing with spaces without context, shaped without consistency and urban planning. The accusations are often of ‘arbitrariness’, of building ‘what you want, where you want’, leading to point-scoring architecture. The problem is more and more often discussed in the Polish public debate, which gives hope. However, it cannot be said unequivocally that all public spaces in Poland without exception are characterised by spatial chaos – there are examples of high quality spaces, but this is too little to conclude that the problem does not exist.

Karol Kacprzak
Maintenance and Development Junior Specialist