Linear thinking

What exactly are linear parks? According to landscape architect Maciej Sikorski of the LS-Project studio, who has designed many such linear parks, they are green areas within a city that have an elongated form as a result of been built over existing infrastructure such as communication routes. “Parks like this are created to keep greenery within the city and connect up different areas. The green area acts as the main connector or as a corridor,” he explains. The reasons for creating such parks are just the same as for any other green area in a city – to provide recreation and relaxation zones and to improve the environment. “Having areas that are biologically active in cities mitigates the effects of climate change, improves the quality of life and makes an area more aesthetically pleasing,” believes Anna Stopińska, the press officer of Warsaw City Green Management [Zarząd Zieleni m.st. Warszawy]. She also adds that another additional reason for establishing linear parks is to make the city greener – and not just in the very heart of town – and so this meets the diverse needs of local residents throughout the whole urban area. Jakub Kompa, the CEO of the better Służewiec Association [Stowarzyszenie Lepszy Służewiec], makes the point that although around 40 pct of Warsaw is green, in many districts people don’t have convenient access to parks, greenery or city forests. “Access to greenery is one of the basic conditions for a modern, people-friendly city,” he argues. “Such areas not only give people a place to relax, but they often also play a role in communication and placemaking. Usually, there are convenient pathways through green areas for both pedestrians and cyclists, while the areas themselves are used as places to meet up and for local activities, such as breakfast markets, film screenings and outdoor exercise,” says Jakub Kompa. He goes on to say that parks fulfil a critical function in the urban environment. “On the one hand, they perform the role of a natural air-conditioning system – the temperature under a tree is on average several degrees lower than on sun-baked concrete; and on the other, they vastly improve the water retention, which in many cities barely reaches the level of 15 pct. When considering the observable changes in the climate, such sites are of crucial value,” he insists.

A line or a pocket?

What does designing such a park involve? Maciej Sikorski of LS-Project claims that it’s just like with other similar areas, only that the scale is much bigger. “The really important thing is to retain the spatial connections, the links between other parts of the city that also interact with each other,” he says. However, he does point out that you can’t just create a linear park anywhere. The site has to be suitable in terms of both the scale and the areas it connects. According to him, pocket parks can often meet such needs by forming parts of linear parks, but they do this on a smaller, more local scale. Jakub Gładysz, the development manager of the Better Służewiec Association, stresses the importance of location as a vital element in the design of linear parks. “It’s not only that the site has to have the right spatial plan and that the ownership questions should all be settled, but it also has to meet at least three conditions. It needs to be easy to access so that it can be used by all different types of people, it needs to serve a placemaking function by improving local communications or becoming a centre for local activities, and it also has to serve local needs when it comes to the future introduction of amenities, such as cycle paths, benches, deck chairs and pergolas as well as toilets and graduation towers,” he says.

Parks across the world

One classic example of a linear park is High Line in New York, where a green area has been created through the conversion of a stretch of a railway viaduct. Another noteworthy example is the Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland in the US. In the 1970s, a busy road ran alongside the city’s main river, but it was later converted into a green recreational area. A linear park was also created in Seoul many years ago along the Cheonggyecheon brook, while another has been built in Copenhagen. The creators of all these parks all had to battle with the same problems of ownership, bureaucracy and financing. But is it even possible to make a rough comparison of the costs of such an investment with the budget for a traditional park? The costs largely depend on its size, according to Warsaw City Green Management, as well as on the scope of the programme for its planned usage, including the structures that are to be installed, such as benches, fountains, lamp-posts and gazebos. “The investment costs are also affected by the existing use of the land and the eventual plantings of trees and shrubs,” explains Anna Stopińska. For example, the development of one such park in Warsaw’s Służewiec district is to cost, according to Warsaw Green Management, almost PLN 6 mln.

Poland gets in on the act

More and more linear parks are now being proposed in Poland. Examples have already been put into use in Kraków (Ruczaj Park has a mini-golf course, playgrounds, an open-air stage and an outdoor gym – all within a 0.95 ha site), as well as in Wrocław (one of the unique features of Partynice Park is that it overlooks a horse-racing course). Warsaw is also not far behind these cities, even though designers and project teams have hit many difficulties. “In Służewiec, the lack of green space was a real problem, which is why we decided to start such a project even though it was never going to be easy and would require countless official approvals,” admits the CEO of the Better Służewiec Association. “We established the association to convince the local authorities as well as developers and plot managers to work together to create the park. The legal requirements proved to be a challenge – especially the obligation for it to be included in the city’s spatial plan. As was the cost (over PLN 8 mln) and securing the agreement of all interested parties,” reveals Jakub Kompa. The project was finally approved four years after it was proposed, when Warsaw City Green Management announced a tender for the design and construction of the Suwak Linear Park in September this year. Construction work should begin in 2022 and is expected to be completed in 2023. The park on ul. Suwak, which will be 867m in length, is to follow an existing rail line and will also take in a former railway siding. It will have pathways for both pedestrians and cyclists, while the space itself is to be broken up with broad-leafed hedges. The entrance to the park will be via a ramp. The park is to contain 60 benches, wooden deck chairs hammocks and lighting. Bushes are to be planted on an area of 0.42 ha, while more than 0.3 ha will be covered by perennials and grass and a total of 50 trees are also to be planted. According to the press spokesperson of Warsaw Green Management, the first thing that needs to be done is to prepare the site. “The Suwak Linear Park will have an area of 2 ha, in which you will be able to relax next to a flower meadow on a bench or deck chair, ride your bike and even sunbathe on the sand,” claims Justyna Glusman, the sustainable development and greenery director/coordinator for Warsaw city council.

Developers get in on the act

It’s not only associations, organisations and cities that have embraced greenery. Developers, too, are beginning to see the need to create much more expansive and attractive green space for their projects. Jacek Zengteler, the managing director of Yareal, insists that linear parks are the most characteristic features of two of the company’s largest projects. “Every bit of greenery in a city is of utmost importance, but having a park in the same place as you live provides a totally different quality of life, which is something that the current pandemic has made us very much aware of,” he says. The company is currently working on its Soho by Yareal project in Warsaw’s Kamionek sub-district. This is a mixed-use development where more than 900 apartments are eventually to be built. It will also feature a park 300m in length and with an area of 1 ha, which will be open to everyone. “Residents, neighbours and guests will be able to make use of these grounds, which will have more than 17,000 plants and playgrounds as well as a large selection of big-city stores and services located alongside the park, such as cafés and restaurants,” explains Jacek Zengteler. Another linear park project is being created in Warsaw for the Pozytywny Mokotów residential estate, where the green space will have a somewhat different character: this will be a 200m internal stretch of greenery with a number of forecourts for recreation and relaxation as well as communal gardens.