Architectural and Urban Attractiveness of Small Towns: A Case Study of Polish Coastal Cittaslow Towns on the Pomeranian Way of St. James

Alicja K Zawadzka

doi:10.3390/land10070724

Abstract

The paper presents the results of a study on the attractiveness to tourists and natives of the cultural qualities of coastal towns on The Pomeranian Way of St. James that are members of the Cittaslow network. Attention to the quality of urban life is inscribed in the development policies of towns applying to join the Cittaslow movement. In order to join the network (apart from the size criterion), towns need to meet a minimum of 50% plus one of the 72 criteria grouped into seven categories. One of the category is Quality of Urban Life Policy, so the towns applying to join Cittaslow commit themselves to actions aimed at improving the quality of urban life. The study on the attractiveness of cultural qualities of towns to tourists and natives was conducted using the author’s BRB method, whose added value is its universality and the possibility to study small towns regardless of their membership in the Cittaslow network. BRB is an acronym that stands for BUILDINGS, RELATIONSHIPS, BALANCE, and comprises three scopes of activities: BUILDINGS (iconic building and important sites where the inhabitants and the tourists are present); RELATIONSHIPS (the visual effects of the relations between the inhabitants and the town) and BALANCE (solutions that implement modern technologies). This method enables identification of places that are important to the inhabitants, where urban life takes place and which are often created with the involvement of the inhabitants. These are often the same spaces as those that attract tourists and perhaps stimulate them the desire to visit the town again (BRB—be right back). The aim of the BRB method is shown the attractiveness of small towns. The study has shown that the characteristic feature of Polish Cittaslow towns is their diversity: the architectural attractiveness of three towns is high both to tourists and natives. On the other hand, the urban attractiveness of the examined towns is an insufficient.

Highlights

Polish Cittaslow towns differ in terms of their population, area, and location in various regions of Poland, with the largest number of Cittaslow towns, 27, located in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Province, two (Głubczyce and Prudnik)—in the Opolskie Province, and one in each of the following provinces: Pomorskie (Nowy Dwór Gdański), Zachodniopomorskie (Sianów), Ślaskie (Kalety), Wielkopolskie (Murowana Goślina), Lubelskie (Rejowiec Fabryczny), Łódzkie (Rzgów), and Mazowieckie (Sierpc)
The unique characteristics of Polish Cittaslow towns extend beyond the meaningful semantics of the ambiguous
The study presented in this paper focuses on three Polish coastal Cittaslow towns: Braniewo (Warmińsko-Mazurskie Province), Nowy Dwór Gdański (Pomorskie Province), and Sianów (Zachodniopomorskie Province)

Summary

Introduction

An area developing in an uncontrolled way, shaped without thought or planning, loses its value The consequences of this loss are suffered by all stakeholders and users of the space. The inhabitants of small towns have a valuable social capital that is virtually impossible to build in large urban centers: a deep sense of belonging to a place of residence that implies strong social ties and the ability to cooperate because “participation and engagement are the life and promise of the city” ([2], p.110). Such an attitude produces a synergistic effect influencing and reinforcing the interrelationship of the inhabitants, as evidenced by the numerous grassroots initiatives to improve the quality of life of small town communities

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Results

Conclusion