City of Lublin

The city and its environment

This city in the south-eastern part of Poland is the social and cultural centre of the region as well as the home of two universities and other high colleges. Not until the 20th century did Lublin develop into an industrial city. Heavily damaged during the war, the Renaissance inner city was rebuilt during the 1950s, followed by massive construction to improve the cramped conditions and to house the incoming industrial workers and rapidly growing baby-boomer population.

During the past decade, economic change brought increasing space pressures, primarily resulting from the needs of small businesses and from reopened eastern contacts. The automobile industry was able to attract investments from the Far East. The city’s main assets are its excellent landscape and environmental qualities and (despite a long period of stagnation) the identity of its historic core which is currently a priority area for rehabilitation. The city attempts to capitalise on its position as a knowledge-oriented centre and an integrative part of international co-operation.

Housing situation and large housing estates

While Lublin’s housing problems are symptomatic for many central and eastern European cities, its attempts to arrive at solutions are exemplary. With all types of housing areas needing simultaneous attention, the city has first concentrated on encouraging small-scale, endogenous development in the troubled, old, semi-rural areas. The experience thus gained is now beginning to be applied to the large estates. ‘Bottom-up’ integrated development, i.e., activating local funds to improve the buildings and the environment, is considered a complement to attracting outside investors.

Lublin’s building stock consists of all types of post-war, prefabricated housing. The city contains fine examples of estates that were built during the 1960s by well-known architects and include all amenities, as well as huge ‘mountain’ structures and agglomerations of large, 11-storey ‘walls’ ‘stamped out of the bare ground’. Since the 1980s, construction has concentrated on small-scale development by owner-occupiers (approximately ten per cent of new housing) and owner co- operatives, often in the form of ‘in-lays’ within large estates. Gradually, the large estates have been losing their previous status as an acceptable model for living. Recent plans also include new type of social housing (TBS).

Problems and areas requiring action

• physical ageing of all estates; great need for intensive repairs to roofs, façade insulation (about 70 per cent of the buildings), heating systems, and (especially unsafe gas) pipes
• high service costs, making large estates uncompetitive with other housing
• asbestos of early improvements to facades now represents a health hazard
• very small flats in early estates; not in demand; lack of space for economic activities
• need for structural change in housing administration, emphasis on service and customer orientation
• need for integration of individual residents (owners, tenants, co-op members) into public programmes for improvement
• safety in public areas; safe and improved green areas; safe parking lots

Actors and activities

The city is actively encouraging neighbourhood democracy as a basis for development. Incentives for rehabilitation are provided, and infrastructure improvements are viewed as a foundation for state and private investment. Residents’ organisations and co-operatives are changing their administrative procedures to provide more ‘customer orientation’. Neighbourhood organisations are encouraged to involve inhabitants and local businesses in their planning processes.

‘Tartary’ Estate

The estate was built between the late 1950s and early 1960s, adjacent to a motor vehicle factory which has since been privatised. In addition to its large municipal stock, it contains factory- owned buildings and a co-operative that was formerly linked to the factory. The estate has sufficient schools (including a specialised music school) and medical facilities. Shopping is available in a ‘passage’ and in two small retail areas, all of them recently modernised by private investors. The environment is dominated by greenery and connected to the open landscape. The threat of mass unemployment seems to have been averted by the continuation of automobile manufacturing. The newest buildings in the estate belong to a parish centre of the early 1980s.

Physical and ecological situation

• extensive greenery, constituting an asset of the estate
• problems with the estate’s central heating
• some pollution from adjacent automobile factory

Problems

• insufficient insulation against rain, humidity, and loss of heat; need for new windows or window repairs; quality problems with some of the newly added insulation
• need for safe, overnight parking space
• public safety endangered by teenage gangs
• upkeep of maintenance in light of rising cost of services
• social integration and health services for the growing number of elderly residents
• necessary improvements to the public areas and landscaping
• danger from malfunctioning gas pipes

Strategies

• City Housing Maintenance Enterprise to provide administration and services for the municipal stock; also to provide services to privatised flats; currently undergoing structural change
• creation of secured parking space at old bus station
• bicycle route along the river
• new businesses development in the neighbourhood
• replacement of gas pipes (1997-98) to meet safety standards
• neighbourhood council elected in 1994 with the approval of the city council; presenting local opinion and organising strategies at the local level; trying to involve inhabitants and businesses in the local development and especially in the improvement of the public areas

Source: EA.UE: A future for large housing estates, Berlin 1998

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