The Human Factor in the Revitalization of the Housing Estates

Abstract

The article presents the issues connected with revitalization of the housing estates built in the industrial technologies, regarding it as one of the key elements of the transformation process of the modern cities in Poland. The aim of this work is to draw the attention to a very important element of revitalisation- a ‘human factor’, which is the basis of any changes in the urban and architectural spaces of modern housing estates. The first aspect of transformations relates to searching for a suitable scale and the urban character of the building development, together with the available area and the functions of residents’ service. The second essential element is a social participation of the residents, their involvement in the decisions connected with the project, which range from the issues of spatial planning to the choice of specific solutions, furnishings and other details, but it also involves their participation in any works carried out for the housing estate. The residents’ participation increases their chances for happiness, a sense of identity, the bond with neighbourhood community and a better assessment of conducted architectural and urban transformations. In Western European countries, the issue of huge housing estates is commonly known and the rich experience in revitalisation covers both the more conservative methods but also the demolitions of an urban tissue and changes of the structure of building development. The aim of such changes is to achieve suitable proportions, the buildings’ aesthetics, new forms of exploitation, and also their ‘human’ scale. It is indispensable to conduct social consultations related to the use of common spaces and constructing the places of mutual integration. In this paper, the survey conducted among the residents of Sadyba housing estate in Warsaw is presented, concerning the issues of functioning of basic elements of the space and indispensable changes in the field of the comfort of use, aesthetics and the neighbourhood relations. The inhabitants of this estate react passively to a vision of basic changes in the conditions of their housing environment and are not fully ready for an active participation in the dialogue on revitalisation of the residential estate.