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- Green areas in urban areas are very important and more and more of them should be designed. This is what has been happening in Poznan for several years - especially in the inner city, where there are very dense buildings. Areas that were previously undeveloped, abandoned and paved, and often also served as illegal parking lots, have been turned into squares and pocket parks. We do not intend to stop at this. We are facing a new EU perspective in which many funds will be allocated for retention and greening of urban spaces - says Mariusz Wiśniewski, Deputy Mayor of Poznan. - The actions which we take are not planned in the quiet of officials' offices but in the course of public discussion, in cooperation with residents and estate councils. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage all Poznan residents to voice their opinions on greenery in the city.

In the coming months, the Projects Coordination and Urban Regeneration Office will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the locations of paved areas in the city center that could be designated for greenery. For this purpose, the Office has asked Poznan district councils to indicate spaces that are important from the residents' perspective. It is also important that such places fit into the overall city greenery system, the target structure of which is currently being developed as part of the Poznan Spatial Development Study update. The information gathered will make it possible to select inner-city spaces where green and blue infrastructure measures can be implemented. The inventory will be the basis for developing projects which will counteract the phenomenon of the so-called urban heat island and which can be included in the European programmes supporting adaptation to climate change with their funds.

- We are holding talks with district councils regarding locations where new squares and pocket parks could be created. We are also interested in solutions related to water retention. Such actions will have an impact not only on the comfort of Poznan residents, but also on improving climatic conditions. When we manage to select appropriate locations, we will proceed to the design stage - obviously in consultation with the inhabitants," stresses Grzegorz Kamiński, Director of Projects Coordination and Urban Regeneration Office of the Poznan City Hall.

The Municipal Road Administration is also planning similar activities. According to previous plans, areas will be inventoried which, in relation to the new traffic organization after the introduction of the paid parking zone in Wilda and Łazarz, can be unpaved and greenery will be introduced.

- These are primarily the areas of intersections and pedestrian crossings, such as Czajcza Street at the intersection with Powstańcza," says Piotr Libicki, Deputy Director of Municipal Road Administration. - For many years the ZDM (Municipal Road Administration) has been carrying out activities thanks to which the amount of greenery in road lanes increases. Vegetation will appear in more places.

Pocket parks in Wilda and Jeżyce

The Projects Coordination and Urban Regeneration Office has for several years been conducting activities aimed at introducing greenery into the urban space. As part of the "Ambush on the fyrtles - greening the squares" campaign, neglected areas in Wilda were transformed into places of recreation with plants and small architecture. In this way, a square in Robocza St., at the intersection of Sikorskiego and Umińskiego Streets (which had previously served as an illegal parking lot) and in Traugutta St., where in addition to greenery and benches, insect houses appeared. As a result, the residents gained new "pocket parks", so necessary in compact urban development. The works were carried out in cooperation with Wilda District Council and land managers.

Additional greenery will also be added for Jeżyce residents. Recently a project of development of a small area at Jeżycka Street has been commissioned. A pocket park will be created there. The area will be developed in such a way as to enable both relaxation and meetings of the local community. On the neighboring wall there are plans to create a mural with graphics created as part of the "Fyrtle-tu jest nasze życie' project.

Front gardens in Lazarus

Work was also carried out in order to revalorize green areas in front gardens on Załęże Street in Łazarz. They included the area in front of residential buildings in the road strip, which was mostly neglected and partially paved. The next step will be greening the area in front of the buildings on Siemiradzkiego and Kossaka Streets. In the nearest future there will also be a project of developing front gardens on Strusia Street, directly in front of the Higher School of Security.

Rain gardens

Elements of small retention - rain gardens, waterways and bioretention basins - will appear in the urban space. The introduced solutions will make it possible to capture rainwater from the surrounding areas and buildings, thus supplying the greenery designed around them. The city of Poznan in cooperation with Aquanet, in consultation with housing estate councils, has already selected the places where such measures can be implemented first. These are the areas between Lukaszewicza Street and Dmowskiego Street in Lazarus, Norwida Street in Jezyce and Gdańska Street in Srodka. Small retention and greenery will also be introduced on selected school playgrounds and in the kindergarten garden.

Re-paving of road lanes

Greenery in the city is also increasing thanks to numerous de-paving projects - replacing hardened surfaces with plants. Every year the Municipal Road Administration prepares projects of new plantings. This year alone, in places where there was previously concrete, it plans to plant 68 trees, over 3,600 shrubs and 15.5 thousand bulbous plants.

The new vegetation is planted in areas that are not used by pedestrians, drivers or cyclists. These are often wide sidewalks, once obstructed by cars. Such unpaving took place on Wojskowa, Grobla, Królowej Jadwigi, Poznańska, Jeżycka, Dąbrowskiego (on the section from Żeromskiego to Botaniczna streets), Karmelicka, Mostowa, 3 Maja or Chwaliszewo streets.

In recent months there has also been more greenery in Wilda and Łazarz due to the introduction of the Paid Parking Zone (SPP). The new traffic organization has moved car parking onto the roadways in many places. This made it possible to plant greenery, using previously inaccessible spaces in the streets: Niegolewskich, Biała, Niecała, Stablewskiego, Jarochowskiego, Małecki and Sikorskiego. Over 3100 square meters of hardened surface was paved, 31 trees and over 4300 bushes were planted.

This year we plan to green Umińskiego, Limanowskiego, Załęże, Małeckiego (on the section from Gąsiorowskie to Strusia) and Mickiewicza streets.  In the following years, planting will be continued on streets covered by the Public Parking System, e.g. Karwowskiego street in Łazarz.

AJ/ OD