Nowy Port, Brzeźno, Letnica, a bit of Wrzeszcz Dolny, and some historical elements of Przeróbka are chosen as an area to be rethought in the context of the city of Gdańsk for the purpose of this exercise. 

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The site has a population of approximately 33 474 inhabitants (as in 2011), and an area of 10,2 km².

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At the moment, the area is well known for having four historical and different character areas; divided by recent infrastructure elements and allotment gardens that seem to interrupt the transit of people among them.

 

At the same time, there are several listed buildings that reflect the long history of the site. On the North-West, we have Brzeźno a historical district that comes from the 13th century and on recent centuries became a summer resort, that even after the destruction during WWI, has slowly regain it’s condition of bathing area. In the collective memory, Gdańsk’s citizens see Brzeźno again as a recreational area (something unthinkable before the 1990s).

 

On the North-East the district of Nowy Port is often still remembered by its past bad reputation. Yet it’s history talks about a resilient community, that was often historically colliding with Gdańsk’s owned reputation. This tensions were also used by Prussian authorities at a point, which developed Nowy Port’s harbor as an enemy of Gdańsk’s economy. The Prussian harbor increased the activity in the area, later on,  bigger ships would be built. In the 1860s, as a response to a transit of more than 3 000 ships a year, the newest lighthouse in the Baltic was built. Not surprisingly, between 1902-09, more residential buildings (for workers), were built in Nowy Port faster than in Wrzeszcz, and major infrastructural improvements took place.

 

On the South of Nowy Port, Letnica is a district inhabited by a much smaller population than Nowy Port, around 2 000 residents, but mainly occupied by allotment gardens and industrial facilities. Energa Stadium was built for the Euro 2012, which even tho was settled in terrains previously occupied by allotment gardens, brought a lot of new communications into the area (SKM station, improved tram lines,…) and the recent finalization of Droga Zielona, the new GP class road that counts with a tunnel under the Martwą Wisłą and that in fact, can be seen as a big barrier within the site’s area.

 

The whole area is full of fractures between itself with empty spaces and underdeveloped neighborhoods that increase the feeling of separation with the rest of the city. The individual character and history of the areas is also an opportunity to find a common ground for new developments that can grow stronger and more resilient communities within the current neighborhoods.