“AGONISTIC DESIGN MATTER”: FLOWERS, POTS AND WIRES

Abstract

This exploratory paper provides an account on the big Polish cities that have recently undertaken major problems of so called revitalization. According to New Urbanism ideas, these projects should involve participation of inhabitants and address needs of different actors which dwell in the cities. We introduce two cases of Warsaw and Poznań where the concept of participation becomes misunderstood and the cities’ authorities’ attitude towards urban green removes it – literally and metaphorically – from the soil and makes it a city property easy to move and remove. These cases show how the cities’ policy towards urban greenery focuses different political tensions.