The first post-war, comprehensive Gdynia Downtown Plan was at the same time one of the first spatial development plans in Poland defining the directions of transformation of multifunctional downtown structures in the new system and legal realities. It was the Plan of the Polish Breakthrough related to the realities of the downtown area of Gdynia. The study area included the Gdynia Valley limited by the hills of Kamienna Góra, Redłowo and Chylońskie Forests with the development of a complete pre-war city developing in accordance with the fi rst plan of Adam Kuncewicz from 1925 in the zone of 3 km, counted from the center of the inner port. The aim of the plan was to look for centralizing potential in the fi eld of research. This concept was treated as a power degree related to the then existing state, as well as the possibility of further development or transformation.

Gdynia i Zakopane to dwa słynne miasta na granicach II Rzeczypospolitej, pierwsze nad Bałtykiem, drugie pod Tatrami. Celem niniejszej pracy jest próba porównania pozornie odmiennego ich oblicza pod kątem architektury ośrodków. W obu – aczkolwiek w nieproporcjonalnym zakresie – zaistniał „styl zakopiański”, modernizm i funkcjonalizm.

This paper aims to describe how the largest suburban development area for the city of Gdynia has been redesigned according to “New Urbanism” principles to become a new town district for potentially 40,000 inhabitants. Before MAU’s engagement in the project, a comprehensive vision for the area was lacking: new housing developments tended towards its car-dependent sub-urbanisation. The author was charged with organising an urban planning Charrette in May 2012 bringing together developers, city officials, inhabitants and experts in urban design, planning, architecture, traffic, sociology and location marketing. Key to the solution was the necessity of the restructuring of the road network, which had to be redesigned to enable the development of walkable neighborhoods and a distinctive new town center for the district. This would allow to have most daily uses within a 5 minute walking distance, such as schools, shops, recreation areas and public transport. In addition, three different pro-active strategies have been proposed to accommodate workplaces within the district, based on the economic profile and potential of Gdynia. A new Master Plan for the district was accordingly devised, planning procedures were set in motion, and a new legal plan (MPZP) fi nally approved in August 2017.

The “Kępa Redłowska” reserve is located in the southern part of Kępa Redłowska. The location of the reserve is quite unique. Its eastern border runs along the coastline of the Baltic Sea, while on the other sides it is surrounded by highly urbanized districts of Gdynia. Its coastal location means that it is exposed to natural factors that operate in the coastal zone, whereas its urban surroundings are a threat to the natural environment through more or less controlled human activity. The landscape of the reserve owes its attractiveness mainly to the cliff coast it encompasses. Diversified geological structure of this area, both in terms of lithology and age, combined with progressive erosion, causes a continuous change in its appearance. It is this part of the reserve that is most exposed to the destructive activity of natural factors, mainly coast erosion as well as aeolian processes. The intensity of these processes is closely related to climate changes over the centuries, e.g. a significant reduction in the number of winters, during which there is ice cover in the shore zone means that cliffs are not protected against erosion by winter storms. A spectacular effect of winter storms in this area was a large landslide in the southern part of the cliff on February 15, 2018. The retreat of cliffs is a common phenomenon, however observations in recent decades clearly indicate its acceleration. The remaining part of the reserve area, not directly connected with the shore zone, is subjected to continuously growing anthropopressure. As mentioned above, the “Kępa Redłowska” reserve is located in Gdynia. The expansion of the Redłowo district has resulted in the housing development being located directly adjacent to the eastern border of the reserve. An additional element of anthropopressure is the creation of interpretive trails and tourist routes within the reserve. On the one hand, this is an attempt to “channel” tourist traffic in this area, on the other hand, it causes an increase in tourist traffic with all the negative phenomena associated with it, mainly for vegetation. Human interference in the reserve began already at the end of the 1930s. At that time, military facilities, such as bunkers and artillery positions, were built there. This process continued uninterrupted until the 1960s. Post-military objects are on the one hand an attraction for tourists, on the other hand they attract the attention of various types of seekers of military remnants who, during their explorations, cause additional damage to the surface of the area and vegetation.

The main objective of the article is an attempt to indicate factors which determine the image of a city as a good place to live as well as to reveal the ways in which they affect the citizens’ quality of life. In order to do so, the author selected the city of Gdynia which is perceived as the best city to live in by its citizens. Among the most important factors determining the quality of life in general there are: the scale of a city, local identity, public spaces, symbolic places, housing environment, perception of a place, personal satisfaction of a place where a particular person lives, urban policies as well as presence and activeness of local leaders. The article presents the results of a social study carried out by the author herself during two periods of time – in 2004 and 2014 as well as the results of the Social Diagnosis 2015.

The Muzeum Emigracji, established in 2012, is a notable exemplar of the burgeoning narrative history museums in Poland and, notably, the only Polish migration museum to date. Its permanent exhibition traces the history of Polish emigration from the 19th century to the present. In this context, this examination, grounded in migration and museum research, scrutinizes the representation of Polish migrants and their descendants within the exhibition section titled “Polonia and the Poles in the World”. This analysis cen-ters on the narratives presented therein.

The central contention posits that the organizing principle of the exhibition revolves around a national narrative: the migrants’ history unfolds predominantly from the perspective of their country of origin. Concurrently, the exhibition continues to regard migrants and their progeny as integral components of the Polish national community. They are portrayed as a valuable resource that enhances the standing of the Polish nation abroad or fulfils various roles in its service. Consequently, the multifaceted identity concepts of the migrants fade into the background within this representation.

During the 1920s and 1930s Gdynia transformed from a small fishing village into a dynamically developing city through the construction in its vicinity of the largest seaport of interwar Poland. The city’s first expansion plan (1926, Adam Kuncewicz, Roman Feliński), designed for approximately 100 000 inhabitants, had to be revised already within a few years because development of the port has proved to be faster and the terrain requirements of the port substantially greater than originally predicted. In effect grounds originally planned for general city functions were yielded to the rapidly developing port. It was not until 2003 when the port boundaries shifted significantly as a result of restrictions and changes in the nature of port activity. These changes freed around 53 ha of post-harbour sites for new development, attractively located in the immediate vicinity of the existing city centre and waterfront. In 2015 the port boundaries shifted again adding 3 ha more of post-harbour sites. The changes also spurred investment in the north of downtown Gdynia – in accordance with the intentions of first city planners. Ideas how to make good use of post-harbour areas have been invented and evolved since 1990s. The concept which is currently under development was prepared in 2008 by the City Planning Offi ce of Gdynia. Since 2010 analyses and studies of future development have been conducted using 3D model. The concept is continuously updated and new details are added based on projects obtained through architectural competitions. Since 2015 development areas of the northern part of the city center were rebranded as Gdynia Sea City. In accordance with this concept Gdynia Sea City will be the modern city centre with areas designed for leisure, relaxation and business and will be inhabited by more than 10 thousand people. The area’s new grid is a continuation of the urban grid of historical downtown Gdynia and draws upon unrealized city plans of the interwar period. The scale of new buildings in the area is reminiscent of the historical buildings in the area. Groups of higher buildings are allowed outside of a protected area of the historic center, in areas selected through view and cityscape analysis. The residential and commercial complex Sea Towers together with two other newly constructed tall buildings is currently the dominant in this area. Several new development complexes are under construction. Planning concepts assume public availability of quays around the port basins and maintaining spacious openings towards the sea. Construction of marinas is expected using part of the docks and the ability to expand and reduce existing wharves, movement of pedestrians and cyclists between Fishermen Pier and South Pier will be facilitated through the construction of a bridge or a ferry connection. The planned enlargement into the post-harbour areas will double the current potential of Gdynia downtown, and enlarge the scope of representative areas and change the panorama from the historic city center and from the sea. Attractive downtown sites can provide an answer to the issue of uncontrolled urban spill into peripheral areas of adjacent municipalities.