Examples of modernization of historical housing estates in the outskirts of Wrocław – opportunities and threats

Alena Kononowicz

Abstract

Recent decades have seen increased housing development activities in the outskirt housing estates of Wrocław, apparently driven by a trend of city dwellers escaping from the city somewhere “closer to nature”. This applies also to Brochów and Psie Pole, former independent small towns with characteristic spatial arrangement. Once absorbed by Wrocław, these housing estates were subjected to on-going expansion whose size exceeded many times their historical core area. Restoration of the historical centre of Psie Pole undertaken by the City in 2009 has produced controversial results. The modernised old Marketplace has become a dead space in spite of renovated buildings and modern spatial development of the square. Along with the market stalls at the former bus terminal the people disappeared, too. Commercial traffic was moved to the rear of one of the frontages, a so-called “shopping arcade”, in the vicinity of trash bins; whilst the benches in the renovated Marketplace are most frequently occupied by homeless people. Modernisation activities at the historical centre include: restoration, reconstruction or demolition of old buildings, construction of infill buildings, that often fail to harmonise with their surroundings.
Effects of the modernisation works carried out at the historical housing estate for railway employees in Brochów, where, for example, only halves of the semi-detached multi-family houses were refurbished; confirm the necessity to adopt a comprehensive approach to the renovation process. Elsewhere, thermal retrofitting with polystyrene left the facades of the buildings deformed and their original character was permanently lost.