Gdansk

GDANSK

Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic coast of northern Poland. With a population of 470,907, It is Poland’s principal seaport and the center of the country’s fourth-largest metropolitan area.

The main challenge for Gdansk is the execution of inhabitants’ rights to the city related to common management of public spaces and local democracy. On one hand, there are a lot of active citizens who get involved in the policy, decision-making processes but on the other hand, taking over the responsibility to manage common goods in a way that will secure the interests of all groups of citizens is a significantly harder challenge. The particular interests usually dominate over the common good.

The background

Gdansk joined Civic eState to learn from already existing and functioning models of pooling urban commons, learning about the factors of success and the conditions that determine the successful co-management of shared place.

Gdansk administrators first thought to open to the public an abandoned building and allow citizens to manage it. However, when Civic eState actually started, other assets appeared, as the “neighbourhood houses”, which represented a good fit where to transfer this NGO model of governance. 

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1. The starting point

Gdansk interest in “urban commons” started with the URBACT project “Boostinno”, during which the city discovered an abandoned building that it thought it could adapt as a community public space.

In the initial transferability study, Gdansk was given a rating of A- in terms of transfer potential, due to the motivation of the administrative officers like Social Innovation

Gdansk followed the proposal by Napoli regarding repurposing spaces and it led the city to join Civic eState: having difficulties with allowing people to enter the space Gdansk decided to reorient from focusing on one single point to our purpose public spaces to many points all over the city. 

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2. Transfer journey

The main objectives of the projects are:

  • To create a legal framework for commons
  • Foster a public-civil partnership, building a community around the physical space
  • Renovate the assets, the Dolna Brama and the eight buildings
  • Create a sustainable financial model 

The City of Gdansk was first thinking to open one of its main assets to the public – Dolna Brama, a historical school building, with 1,200 m2 of space plus a large yard, and allow citizens to manage it.

After the start of the project, other assets appeared to be suitable for “commoning”: Gdansk’s neighbourhood houses seemed fitted to transfer this NGO model of governance. But many regulations are scattered over various policies and documents, from participatory budget to urban regeneration plans. So Gdansk’s main objectives became to create a legal framework for urban commons.

The second level of concern was building a community around the physical space ready for co-management and taking responsibility for the place. At the same time, there was the need for the renovation of the main assets. The Dolna Brama was a pivotal point for the project, but since the building is composed of two parts, one of which is the small “hub lab” and it made it difficult because the members of this lab are quite close to other representatives of the markes movement.

3. Transfer Journey time-line

The following section is dedicated to the main phases of the transfer journey.

September 2019 – December 2019

Transfer learning period

Community balance transfer, participating in ULG meetings.  Procedure with the Dolna Brama takes long, so in the meantime it’s taken the decision to focus on the neighbourhood community houses.

May 2019 – August 2019

Transfer state report

Legal research, participation in transnational meeting, (Ghent), ideation on space use and design, networking.

Legal framework co creation.

January 2019 – April 2019

Transfer learning period

Meeting for coordination and facilitation of the project

Conducting legal research with insight and feedback

September 2018 – December 2018

Starting point 

Participating in ULG meetings by social organizations, individuals, NGOs, think tanks.

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4. Transfer outcomes

The work on the Dolna Brama school is still in progress, technical challenges became a reason for the slow process. For this reason Gdansk started working on the neighbourhood houses in parallel. The neighbourhood houses are in the process of co-creating with the leaders of neighbourhood houses a common brand which would homogenize values, goals, approach.

Aside from the physical renovations, the project reached other results, in particular it managed to build a community around the physical space ready for co-management, and a community based on local leaders and local residents;

 The project also managed to tackle legal challenges: the transfer needed legal hacking to be properly carried out  – the invitation to cooperate with lawyers from outside the city hall was a success;

The popularization of the ideology of commons and fostering the common understanding of commons was another objective achieved, since commons are a rather new concept in Poland.

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5. TRANSFER JOURNEY MAPPING

Co-Gov

STARTING POINT (SPACES / ASSETS)
MODERATE
STARTING POINT (POLICY LEVEL)
STRONG
END POINT
STRONG

From Moderate to Strong (spaces / assets)

From Strong to Strong (policy level)

In the spirit of the city and in all activities.

Enabling state

STARTING POINT
STRONG
END POINT
STRONG

From Strong to Strong

Brokers about different sectors. There are special paragraphs for NGOs how to apply for municipal locations. We need to make it more open.

Soc&econ pooling

STARTING POINT
MODERATE
END POINT
MODERATE

From Moderate to Moderate

Mindset changes also from city council members.

Experimentalism

STARTING POINT
STRONG
END POINT
STRONG

From Strong to Strong

Especially in our department, we try out, we launch new projects. Also now testing the index. Social innovation fund, also tested.

Tech Justice

STARTING POINT
MODERATE
END POINT
MODERATE

From Moderate to Moderate

Just started to think about tool accessibility.

From Moderate to Strong (spaces / assets)

From Strong to Strong (policy level)

Co-Gov

In the spirit of the city and in all activities.

STARTING POINT (SPACES / ASSETS)
MODERATE
STARTING POINT (POLICY LEVEL)
STRONG
END POINT
STRONG

From Strong to Strong

Enabling State

Brokers about different sectors. There are special paragraphs for NGOs how to apply for municipal locations. We need to make it more open.

STARTING POINT
STRONG
END POINT
STRONG

From Moderate to Moderate

Soc&econ Pooling

Mindset changes also from city council members.

STARTING POINT
MODERATE
END POINT
MODERATE

From Strong to Strong

Experimentalism

Especially in our department, we try out, we launch new projects. Also now testing the index. Social innovation fund, also tested.

STARTING POINT
STRONG
END POINT
STRONG

From Moderate to Moderate

Tech Justice

Just started to think about tool accessibility.

STARTING POINT
MODERATE
END POINT
MODERATE

From Moderate to Strong (spaces / assets)

From Strong to Strong (policy level)

Co-Gov

In the spirit of the city and in all activities.

From Strong to Strong

Enabling State

Brokers about different sectors. There are special paragraphs for NGOs how to apply for municipal locations. We need to make it more open.

From Moderate to Moderate

Soc&econ Pooling

Mindset changes also from city council members.

From Strong to Strong

Experimentalism

Especially in our department, we try out, we launch new projects. Also now testing the index. Social innovation fund, also tested.

From Moderate to Moderate

Tech Justice

Just started to think about tool accessibility.

Co-Gov

STARTING POINT (SPACES / ASSETS)
MODERATE
STARTING POINT (POLICY LEVEL)
STRONG
END POINT
STRONG

From Moderate to Strong (spaces / assets)

From Strong to Strong (policy level)

In the spirit of the city and in all activities.

Enabling state

STARTING POINT
STRONG
END POINT
STRONG

From Strong to Strong

Brokers about different sectors. There are special paragraphs for NGOs how to apply for municipal locations. We need to make it more open.

Soc&econ pooling

STARTING POINT
MODERATE
END POINT
MODERATE

From Moderate to Moderate

Mindset changes also from city council members.

Experimentalism

STARTING POINT
STRONG
END POINT
STRONG

From Strong to Strong

Especially in our department, we try out, we launch new projects. Also now testing the index. Social innovation fund, also tested.

Tech Justice

STARTING POINT
MODERATE
END POINT
MODERATE

From Moderate to Moderate

Just started to think about tool accessibility.

Do you what to know more about Gdansk?

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