*4.6. Comparative Analysis with the Existing European Examples of Development–Regeneration of Degraded Riverside Areas*

To undertake a discussion with the existing examples of riverside development, an analysis of several projects was attempted, such as Paris Rive Gauche, Oslo Fjord City & Akerselva River, Refshaleoen in Copenhagen. The above-mentioned areas considerably differ in their scale from the study area discussed herein; however, they introduce similar functional and spatial solutions.

## 4.6.1. Paris Rive Gauche

Paris Rive Gauche constitutes the new 13th municipal district of Paris located south of the river Seine. The area is an example of a high-quality urban-development space (including 10 hectares of green areas) and the integration with sustainable transport. The vicinity of Austerlitz Nord contributed to the construction of a series of office buildings with shops and catering establishments on their ground floors in order to meet needs of the local community for the creation of a local centre. Similarly in Kraków-Zabłocie, there is a railway station adjacent to the study area. The analyses conducted showed that there is also a need for the creation of an active local centre. Therefore, it was proposed that the coworking office centres should be built there (as a type of space most often used by freelancers), including a museum, a culture zone for the inhabitants and a hotel with conference and catering facilities.

Also, similarly to Cracow (Kraków), the development of Austerlitz Nord takes advantage of the difference in the terrain altitude (~9 m) using it for the passages for pedestrians from alleys to the waterfront. In the design of the Vistula Riverside development, a pedestrian and cycling footbridge (in a north–south direction) is planned over a heavy traffic artery located in a terrain depression. The footbridge is to facilitate traffic and circulation between the designed multifunctional centre and the riverside boulevard.

The National Library in the district Paris Rive Gauche is located in a similar urban-development context to the designed multifunctional complex in Kraków-Zabłocie. A massive body of the library is separated from the river by municipal infrastructure and a row of high trees. On the other hand, in Kraków-Zabłocie, due to the development of the terrain and introduction of changes in the road and pedestrian infrastructure, the safety of free circulation was improved between the designed building and vast green areas on the Vistula (Wisła) waterfront. Thanks to that, the space in front of the multifunctional complex freely blends with the riverside boulevard.

## 4.6.2. Oslo Fjord City & Akerselva River

Oslo Fjord City is one of the most interesting concepts of regeneration and creation of space of urban areas in the riverside part of Oslo downtown. Former harbour space was converted into the "salon" of the city with residential buildings interwoven with commercial objects. The area of Kraków-Zabłocie is undergoing similar transformations. Significant historic post-industrial sites were built with new residential and public utility objects resulting in the gradual increase in the number of users and inhabitants of this area in recent years.

The example of Oslo is important due to the way of merging public buildings with the waterfront. The central point is the Opera House—the largest building devoted to culture that has been built in Norway over the span of 700 years. This is a building whose roof was made available to users. It plays a function of a viewpoint and constitutes an integral part of the public space areas. The designed multifunctional complex in Cracow is supposed to play a similar role. Having conducted historical analyses, it was noticed that there was a need for the creation of an architectural dominant in the form of a multifunctional complex (including a museum, local centre, hotel and offices). The museum commemorating the catastrophe of a Liberator aircraft and the history of the Allied Forces Pilots is to serve the local community for the promotion of significant events connected with the history of Kraków-Zabłocie. Moreover, a multifunctional centre located in the area of the meeting point of three central districts of Cracow (Old Town, Grzegórzki, Podgórze) may be a magnet drawing new users to the southern district of Cracow (Kraków).

Another solution having similar features to the one applied in Kraków-Zabłocie is the development of the waterfront of the river Akerselva, which flows entirely within the boundaries of the city of Oslo. Upon this river, meandering through the municipal park areas, there is an object proving an interesting transformation of a degraded post-industrial silo into a students' residence hall. This exceptional building became the landmark of the city of Oslo and was awarded a prize in 2002. This shows how important it is for the space users to preserve characteristic features of the place. Similarly to the

Akerselva riverside, the Vistula (Wisła) riverfront witnesses architectural and urban planning changes. Historic housing development of the Podgórze district is being subjected to gradual regeneration: a museum was created in the former Oskar Schindler's Enamel Factory, the MOCAK museum was constructed, post-industrial objects were transformed into a students' residence hall 'Livinn Kraków' and an office centre, the area of the former railway station was transformed into a park 'Park Stacja Wisła'. The study area encompasses objects under conservation policy, i.e., a restaurant 'Zabłocie 13- and an independent culture and community centre 'Warsztat' (Workshop), which are included in the context of the new development as representing historic and social values.

### 4.6.3. Refshaleoen in Copenhagen

Refshaleoen is a flourishing place where its users may spend leisure time in an attractive way. Once degraded, the warehouses and space remaining after historic shipyard Burmeister & Wain are nowadays filled with private business which has brought in fresh commercial energy and serves the local community. This new fashionable district of Copenhagen is located just 15 min away by bicycle from the city centre. The example of the thriving island of Refshaleoen confirms that areas located in some distance from the city centre may be sufficiently attractive to appeal to many users. A similar distance must be covered to reach the area of Zabłocie from the centre of Cracow. The proposed concept of the Vistula riverside development aims to introduce solutions which will regenerate the degraded areas in terms of economic, social and pro-ecological issues.
