A book that encourages optimistic thinking about the city. A collection of 11 texts on Polish urban space, inspired by the views of the author of “Happy City”, Charles Montgomery. Different points of view, diverse topics that have been present in the public debate for several years, have been included in the framework of a book for the first time.
“City on the plus” was created out of the need to show that Polish cities are changing for the better.
Today, there is a large group of people – local government officials, officials, activists, scientists and ordinary residents – who have the good of cities, and in particular their residents, at heart. Very often we do not realize that the changes that are taking place improve the quality of life – an additional pedestrian crossing, a change in traffic organization, a city bike, a new park with a playground, a building that delights with its architecture and dozens of other examples. Concepts such as woonerf or participation have a hard time breaking through in the public debate. Behind these changes are specific people who care about implementing the idea of a “happy city”.
As we read in the introduction: “We absolutely need someone who will push our cities forward, who will be a leader whom others will follow, who will be able to convince doubters to believe in city life again and – when looking for models – to look towards Copenhagen rather than Detroit. Knowledge and a vision of the goal we are striving for are also essential. In short – we need a Polish Gil Penalosa. Who knows, maybe there is someone like that among the authors of the texts collected in this book?”