Gift from nature

Zuzanna Wiak, ‘Eurobuild CEE’: A Dutch company is carrying out its first project in Poland, why?

Edyta Wiśniewska, architect and urban planner from KuiperCampagnons: Our architectural studio, which was established in 1916, is one of the largest and oldest studios in the Netherlands. We have an integrated approach to spatial and regional planning, urban development, landscape architecture and obtaining all the documents necessary for carrying out long- and short-term plans. I mention this because our company is a kind of foundation whose goal is to educate and pass on knowledge from one generation to another. The founders of the studio advised on and drew up the extension plan for Rotterdam. In 2008 we turned our attention towards Poland.

Why was it Poznań that attracted the studio’s attention?
We visited many Polish cities at the time. We went to Gdańsk, Wrocław, Poznań and Warsaw and had a few discussions on which of the cities would be willing to participate in a joint project. Then we were invited the Poznań University of Technology in Poznań to a conference at which we were able to outline the vision of our studio, which is rooted in re-activating and planning riverfronts. This was when the idea of carrying out a project together was born. We applied with the city of Poznań to the Dutch government’s ‘Partners for Water’ for a subsidy for a pilot enterprise – a development strategy project for the river in Poznań.

A commercial developer is also involved in the project.
This was a joint initiative of the KuiperCampagnons architectural studio and the city. At the stage of submitting the application for the subsidy we were attempting to identify the area it would be applied to. It was our opinion that you needed to take a broader look – at the entire river within the limits of the city. And then it turned out that there were some projects already being planned for some of the areas. This was when the project for the revitalisation of Starołęka surfaced, which SwedeCenter was already involved in. And that was why the involvement of all these parties has been important since the beginning. We could not have drawn up an integrated strategy for the Warta without including the projects that had been planned before it was launched.

The construction of the entire Warta project will be very costly. Which issues were of the utmost importance and urgency for the scheme?
I think it was the issue of re-activating the river as a part of the city, drafting a long-term vision, and following it though in small steps to make it possible to return the river to the city’s inhabitants. There had already been a number of initiatives to bring life back to the river, such as on the Wartostrada embankment and on the beaches. As with any such project, this one is composed of many different elements. You also need to take into account issues such as the infrastructure for wheeled vehicles and the hydrology of the river itself.

Digging out the old river bed is rather controversial. Some say that it will be restored only for commercial developers to lay concrete along its banks.
Developing a project with an integral approach to the functioning of the river in a city takes into account hydrological, social, spatial and economic concerns. However, the most important thing in this case was the course of the river from the hydrological point of view. During our meetings with residents and a group of experts from the DHV studio, which specialises in the assessment and examination of the functioning of rivers, we tried to establish what the consequences would be of changing the course of the river, taking into consideration the fact that old Chwaliszewo [a historic district of the city along the Warta that used to be an island up until the 1970s – editorial note] is the location of the original course of the Warta. This was the main reason it was marked on the map. The natural course of the river can add vitality to the functioning of the river and reduce permeation.

When the bed of Warta was uncovered before the war, Poznań was flooded. Have you considered this when planning to dig out the old river bed?
Of course we have – this was one of the basic conditions of our involvement in this issue. Our approach to the sustainable and well-balanced functioning of the river consists in providing a suitably long stretch of water by creating additional branches of the river. Thanks to this the water will have so many flow and outlet possibilities that there should no problems with overflowing. However, when restoring an old river channel you need to provide it with retaining walls constructed in such a way to allow a free flow, both in the case of low and high levels of water.

As I understand things, the buildings that will appear in Chwaliszewo will have to be constructed with the use of specialised technologies?
We need to employ technologies that can secure the structures of residential buildings against water and make sure it can flow freely. Otherwise new projects might be vulnerable to flooding. Multi-storey car parks are to be built on the banks of the Warta, which will provide additional protection to the banks against flooding.

Still, what is the point of uncovering the river bed just to build the banks up with car parks?
First of all, these are public and open areas. The most important aspect of this project is to return the river to the inhabitants of Poznań. The fact that car parks are to be built on the river bank does not mean that they will be inaccessible to the citizenry. On the contrary, we are planning to build embankments, walking routes and cycle paths in this area. The most important thing is that the Warta serves the people of Poznań.

But should we return rivers to cities anyway, instead of just leaving everything as it is?
The question is, which rivers and what is the context we are talking about? It seems to me that it is worthwhile bringing order and restoring the natural balance between the flow of the river and its surroundings. The Warta provides an excellent example of the truth that each river has many facets. The surrounding area of the river is extremely green and there is a beautiful recreational area around it; but it is also most impressive when it flows through such districts as Chwaliszewo and Ostrów Tumski, and through the developed fragments of the city. You can return a river to a city in such a way that it doesn’t impact the way it flows. The river and the presence of water in a city is a beautiful gift. A city that is reflected in its waterways gains an additional area. It seems to me that it worth taking care of rivers because Poland is perceived as a country that is developing impressively and coping admirably with all kinds of enterprises, so rivers can also be a driver of the further development of urban areas. European funds need to be channelled so that they can support enterprises like this. Providing walking and recreational areas, creating road links between river banks, recreational areas and facilities such as water taxis, cafés, meeting places and museums adds more value to the areas situated along rivers. The value of restoring rivers is that we are the ones who are ultimately going to benefit from such projects.


The programme for the river Warta – the main goals
- Establishing the role of the Warta in Poznań and the direction it flows in as a basis for returning the river to the city and its inhabitants
- An improvement to the city’s spatial development through the planning of the project and increasing the attractiveness of the river bank area
- Providing the city with an economic boost through combining the development projects in the Warta river area
- Integrating planned riverside projects within the Warta River Development Plan – the Portowo pilot programme
- Improvements to Poznań’s fire protection measures

Dutch example
The old river bed of the river Waal has already been dug out in the Dutch city of Nijmegen (160,000 inhabitants) as part of the ‘Room for the River’ project. The government project, which started in 2007, is the outcome of measures to prevent a repeat of the floods that hit the country in 1993 and 1995. A total of EUR 2.3 bln has been earmarked from the state budget for solving flood-related problems as well as for the restoration of rivers and returning them to cities. The project in Nijmegen will involve creating an island on the old river bed in Nijmegen, which will provide local residents with a meeting place and a recreational area. Space for the river itself will also be created with an additional channel, which in the case of high water levels will absorb the excess flow to prevent neighbouring buildings from being flooded. Some of the island area will be sold by the city authorities for residential development. The newly-built island is to be connected with the mainland by two bridges and a footbridge. The completion of the project is planned for 2015.

Pilot project
The Portowo estate is a pilot programme being carried out as part of the Warta River Development Strategy 2030 scheme, which has been prepared by the ‘Na rzecz Warty’ [‘For the River Warta] partnership established by KuiperCompagnons the city of Poznań and SwedeCenter. The project involves the development of modern apartments as well as the necessary infrastructure for residents to live comfortably in a large city (i.e. schools, childcare, medical service, public transport, retail, services, sport and recreational facilities). A unique feature of the estate is its location on the Warta and the planned river marina for motor yachts and kayaks, as well as the system of footpaths and cycle paths connecting it to the Wartostrada road and a bridge crossing connecting the estate with the recreational green areas of Łęgi Dęblińskie.