{"id":9136,"date":"2025-03-25T14:40:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T13:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/serwisnaukowy.uw.edu.pl\/en\/?p=9136"},"modified":"2026-08-25T11:29:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T09:29:10","slug":"it-feels-somewhat-luxurious-here-are-revitalized-city-centers-in-poland-still-meant-for-the-people-who-live-there-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/serwisnaukowy.uw.edu.pl\/en\/it-feels-somewhat-luxurious-here-are-revitalized-city-centers-in-poland-still-meant-for-the-people-who-live-there-2\/","title":{"rendered":"It feels somewhat luxurious here: Are revitalized city centers in Poland still meant for the people who live there?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Gentrification can be defined as a change in the social character of a neighborhood, in which people of higher socioeconomic status replace those of lower status. This process is accompanied by changes in the urban landscape resulting from investment. In short, it means that the affluent are displacing lower-income tenants from attractive locations. The phenomenon was first observed by sociologists in Western Europe and the U.S. as early as the 1960s. In the following decade, it became widespread and drew the attention of policymakers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most researchers agree that displacement is an inherent part of gentrification. On the one hand, it may result from direct economic or legal pressure \u2013 for instance, lease terminations or steep increases in rent. On the other, more subtle forms of pressure can emerge: residents begin to feel out of place as familiar neighbors move away, local shops disappear, and everyday services change. Over time, this sense of alienation can lead them to leave voluntarily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Poland, large-scale urban revitalization programs began much later than in the U.S. and Western Europe. This delay gave policymakers an opportunity to learn from Western experience and to address the social consequences of renewal. One outcome was the adoption of the \u201cright to stay put\u201d principle, incorporated into the Revitalization Act of 2015. In practice, this meant tenants were supposed to retain their leases after renovations were completed. But does this work in reality? This question was examined by Dr. Barbara Audycka of the Department of Social Urban Studies and Conflict Studies at the Institute of Applied Social Sciences, University of Warsaw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Interviews with Residents<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The study was conducted in three cities \u2013 Warsaw, \u0141\u00f3d\u017a, and Wa\u0142brzych \u2013 major urban centers where large-scale renovations of municipal, rent-regulated housing have taken place. Because of the scope of the work, tenants had to move out during construction. At the same time, local authorities generally showed awareness of the legal framework and sensitivity to residents\u2019 needs, partly due to earlier pilot revitalization programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Audycka\u2019s team conducted 78 interviews with tenants of municipally owned housing (public housing managed by city governments). Participants were asked about their attitudes toward relocation, uncertainty about their housing situation, the inconvenience of moving, their old and new neighborhoods, and whether they intended to return after renovations were completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Relocation, in Plain Terms<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Much of Poland\u2019s municipal housing stock is in very poor condition. Many buildings were taken over by the state after 1945 (following World War II and the nationalization of property) and have seen little or no renovation since. Revitalization, at least in theory, was meant to improve residents\u2019 quality of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Given the extent of disrepair, municipalities often decided to relocate tenants temporarily, providing alternative housing during renovations. How did residents respond?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some interviewees \u2013 frustrated by poor living conditions or difficult neighbors \u2013 were eager to leave. This group welcomed the move. As one participant recalled: \u201cI don\u2019t even go back to that neighborhood. I don\u2019t want to remember it. When my daughter was younger, she used to ask, \u2018Mom, aren\u2019t we going to the ugly house?\u2019\u201d Now, when they come back from preschool, the woman hears her daughter say, \u2018Our nice little blue house.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second group, however, felt deeply attached to their homes, neighborhoods, and neighbors. These respondents were primarily from Warsaw\u2019s Praga district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLast call, or I\u2019m going home!\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Residents also described feelings of anxiety and uncertainty. Notice periods varied widely \u2013 from as little as two or three months to several years. In some cases, relocation notices arrived shortly after tenants had invested their own money in renovating their apartments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The process of selecting a replacement apartment could also be stressful. Some residents reported being offered up to three options \u2013 but not all at once. Instead, offers were made sequentially. Rejecting one option meant risking a worse one next. After several refusals, the city could even initiate legal proceedings on the grounds that the tenant was obstructing the renovation process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Back to the old place?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Audycka\u2019s research shows that, after renovations were completed, the vast majority of tenants did not return to their original apartments and instead remained in their temporary housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many interviewees expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of the renovated apartments. Some even felt their apartments had been better before \u2013 pointing to, for example, the replacement of traditional wooden floorboards with cheaper laminate. Others, however, embraced their new circumstances and described their temporary housing as a \u201cfresh start.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A key factor was the lack of clear communication from authorities about whether returning would be possible and what the renovated apartments would actually be like. Residents were often not told what standard to expect after the work was completed. Combined with limited trust in construction quality, this uncertainty led many to stay where they were \u2013 preferring a familiar situation to an unpredictable one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lengthy renovation timelines only added to the problem. Tenants often had no idea when \u2013 or if \u2013 they could return. Moreover, returning would require moving yet again, which discouraged many. As a result, only a small percentage ultimately went back to their original homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\nResearchers examined the revitalization process through interviews with tenants. Pictured: Piotrkowska Street in \u0141\u00f3d\u017a. Photo by jarko7\/Pixabay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Who is this revitalization for?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
As Dr. Audycka points out, one major barrier preventing former tenants from returning is that the 2015 law does not guarantee that rents will remain at pre-renovation levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In \u0141\u00f3d\u017a, for example, rents in renovated tenement buildings have reportedly more than doubled (though they still remained much lower than on the private market). At the same time, no provision was made for social tenure for vulnerable households within revitalized areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRevitalization policies place tenants in a situation where tenants that are better-off have more options than those with lower incomes,\u201d Dr. Audycka notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On-demand gentrification<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
So, are we dealing with genuine urban renewal \u2013 or with gentrification driven by city policy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Dr. Audycka, some measures \u2013 such as those implemented in Wa\u0142brzych \u2013 bear clear signs of the latter. The city has faced significant population decline, as residents move to larger urban centers like Wroc\u0142aw. Revitalization efforts are therefore partly aimed at attracting professionals and higher-income tenants to newly upgraded neighborhoods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These policies, combined with the constraints described above \u2013 which disproportionately affect less affluent tenants \u2013 are reshaping the social fabric of revitalized areas. Newcomers tend to be wealthier and possess greater cultural capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This raises a fundamental question: who ultimately benefits from urban revitalization, if not the original residents? In many cases, they simply cannot afford to return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Researchers](\"https:\/\/serwisnaukowy.uw.edu.pl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/poland-4837733_1920-fot-jarko7-pixabay-1024x683-1.webp\")