Improving the Quality of Life in Large Urban Distressed Areas

LUDA is a research project of Key Action 4 "City of Tomorrow & Cultural Heritage" of the programme "Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development" within the Fifth Framework Programme of the European Commission.

The LUDA e-newsletter is a free electronic document, edited by the LUDA research team from the Leibniz Institute of Ecological and Regional Development in Dresden (Germany). The e-newsletter is distributed every three months, providing project updates, information on current affairs and details of other interesting issues.

LUDA e-news reaches now its 10^th issue! This edition is published only a few weeks prior to the conference of LUDA in Paris (September 16, 2005) dedicated on governance aspects of the urban rehabilitation process.

Bratislava-Rača with its city history is in the central spot of LUDA e-news nr 10. In Bratislava-Rača despite often structural and land-use problems, there are still many positive aspects to be gleaned, and these are the main focus of the article prepared by the Rača-team. Firstly, there are a number of residential facilities which, with basic structural repairs, will rapidly improve an important central part of the urban area. Such 'early wins' would presumably be highly beneficial to gaining momentum during take off phase of the regeneration process. Secondly, large areas of open space are available. Thirdly, the prescriptions of the Master Plan provide a logical and strategic start to the process, defining the future of the area in terms of its increased connectivity to the rest of the city. Finally, the strength of the landscape and built environment around Lake Kalne is quite striking, and has potential to become a strong local theme, in terms of a design direction that can be carried on elsewhere as the regeneration process gets underway.

Other main topics of this edition are the results of the series of workshops in Dresden and the essay Re-imaging the City by Julie Gannon.

We wish you a nice lecture!

highlights

Next LUDA project conference

The objective of the conference is to consider how cities, metropolis and regions combine the different criteria of sustainability, how they are purposive in the process of rehabilitation and their relevance for the LUDA governance. The conference will take place on 16th September 2005 in Amphithéâtre Bourgogne 8, rue d’Athènes - 75 009 Paris.

For more information please look at the project website: www.luda-project.net

Urban Development in dialogue
Identity and Change in Dresden Weisseritz Area

On 22nd of June the three main stakeholders in the urban regeneration of Weisseritz area - the City Planning Department of Dresden, the Leibniz Institute of Ecological and Regional Development and the Bureau for Urban Management and Environmental Planning - arranged two workshops with the overall goal to have a critical review on the achieved results and experiences and to highlight the perspectives for further cooperation in the area.

The first, more internal workshop was completed by different departments of the city administration and local politicians of the area. The participants agreed that the established cooperation between the partners could be a solid base for a successful continuation of the regenerqation process in the Weisseritz area. The future tasks are challenges like developing a vision, planning and realization of actions and projects. Beside the positive facts also the existing defecits were diskussed. Increase of the effectiveness and efficiency will by necessary to achieve noticeable effects. With the lessons learnt from the fruitful discussion the partners did a considerable step towards a sustainable and sucessful regeneration process.

The second workshop was mainly adressed to the stakeholders of the LUDA-Weisseritz, but included also the group of the first meeting. Together with about 50 participants the future development of the area, understood as a common task, was discussed. The stakeholders were encouraged to talk about their interests and expectations as well as to make proposals for common actions. First ideas came up with regard to a common marketing strategy, a trademark for the area and the organization and coordination of a summer event. As a main result about 20 stakeholders agreed to initiate a round table to meet each other once a month and continue with the started dialogue with the goal to create and realize common projects in the LUDA-Weisseritz.

In the next workshop, foreseen for October 13, 2005, stakeholders and external experts will discussion the role of promoting the economic development (specially the support for SME-enterprises) for the revitalisation process.

Markus Egermann (IOER)

Eurocities established a Working Group on Urban Regeneration

On the basis of the proposal made by Municipality of Florence, Partner City in the LUDA project, EUROCITIES network established a new working group on Urban Regeneration led by the City of Florence, within the Economic Development Forum.

The networking activities between the LUDA Partner und Reference Cities shall be concentrated in future on the support of the EUROCITIES’ Urban Regeneration Group. The idea is to link a specialised European network on urban regeneration developed in the LUDA project with the existing networking structures in Europe (EUROCITIES) and on that way to contribute in placing issues regarding the improvement of quality of life in large urban distressed areas on the European Union’s policy agenda.

The goals of the Urban Regeneration Working Group are to:

• Analyse the impact of economic development and social cohesion on physical planning.
• Redefine the city clusters; merge long term planning with short-term opportunities, focus at the same time on the leading role of the public authorities and the public-private collaboration opportunities. Analyse the possibilities of involving companies in sustainable production or management systems.
• Share experiences of improvement of public or semi-public spaces, based on the involvement of inhabitants and aimed at the establishment of social and cultural integration and at housing improvement.
• Promote the combination of social, economic and physical measures by using an integrated approach and focusing on partnership solutions. Analyse the need for arrangements with the national level and/or financial or administrative measures.
• Analyse to what extent people’s needs to improve their economic conditions can be achieved without sacrificing sustainability and inclusiveness.

Current members of the EUROCITIES Urban Regeneration working group are: Bristol , Florence , Genoa , Lille , Liverpool , Lyon , Manchester , Munich , Nancy , Oslo , Rome , Stockholm and Turin .

Further information on EUROCITIES network under: http://www.eurocities.org

Urban river landscape Dresden-Weisseritz:
A green corridor shall imply urban development and flood risk management

The urban landscape of the Weisseritz-Area, its history and present functions are subject to the LUDA walking tours. Since 2004 the tours are offered to an interested public. They have been started in order to stimulate the interest of citizens in the development of the Dresden case study area, carried out by the City of Dresden in cooperation with the LUDA project-coordinator, the Leibniz Institute of Ecological and Regional Development (IOER).
Due to the high interest in specific questions regarding the future development of the green connection and flood risk management along the Weisseritz river, a number of experts were leading excursions in the centre of the Weisseritz area. Wencke Reichel (LUDA-team Dresden) was supported by Thomas Pieper, coordinator of the urban development project Weisseritz, Thomas Jakob, expert of flood protection in the Environmental Department of Dresden, and Gerard Hutter, a flood risk management expert of the IOER.
During three excursions with about 15 participants each, projects as well as programmes of urban rehabilitation and development have been presented, furthermore measures to reduce the risk and damages of floods have been explained. Examples of revitalising derelict land were shown, e.g. first actions to implement the green corridor along the river "Weisseritz", a recreational area and flood protection zone.
The high number of further questions revealed the high interest of participants. In return, notions about the history of the area and background information to its current shape were given by citizens. The positive feedback from the media (e.g. see Saechsische Zeitung Dresden Dec/2nd/2004) also shows that the excursions are one step towards an improved public relation and participation of the public.

Wencke Reichel (Dresden) und Leander Küttner (IOER)

Case Study Dresden: Presentation of Dresden´s Weisseritz Area

The 42^nd IFLA World Congress was held at Campus of the Heriot Watt University in the north-west of Edinburgh. In two days presentations were given on following themes:
- Urban Growth & Decline
- Safer Cities and Towns
- Rural Growth and Decline
- Quality, Aestetics and Economics
The Dresden Weisseritz Area with its two European projects, the Weisseritz-Project of European Regional Development Funds and the research project LUDA, was presented under topic 4. In 15 minutes, the former and potential character of the river landscape, its present problems and mutual benefits of co-operation in Dresden's LUDA case study were shown. The participation in the congress was initiated by Prof. Cornelius Scherzer who is teaching open space planning at the HTW Dresden (FH) - University of Applied Sciences.
During the key speeches three points were mentioned which seem to give good guidance for developing the Green Corridor in Dresden's south-west: Teresa L. Andresen, Professor of Landscape Architecture in Portugal and EFLA President pointed out that landscape architecture goes beyond visual attraction and rather deals with the soil providing our basis for living. Hence its usability should be a primarily concern.
Walter J Hood Jr, a Californian Landscape Architect who designed the Oakland Waterfront Trail claimed that people still need to get used to the sensation that emerges out of using a trail which is linking spaces absolutely different in character - a perception which we will certainly reencounter along the river Weisseritz and its future path system. Besides he considered urban growths and decline a perpetual process which one has to confront by creating multifunctional spaces that serve different claims at a different time.

Wencke Reichel, City of Dresden

Links:
International Federation of Landscape Architects: www.IFLA.org
The Landscape Institute: www.l-i.org.uk
Students Landscape Institute Council: www.slic.info
Dresden's Weisseritz-Project: www.dresden.de/weisseritz
Dresden's LUDA Case study: www.dresden.de/LUDA
University of Applied Sciences Dresden, landscape architecture degree: http://www.htw-dresden.de/pillnitz/

Database

SURBAN is a database on sustainable urban development in Europe, available as a test version on internet under www.eaue.de. It provides access to detailed information on cases of good practice in European urban development (in English).

Newsletter

KCSG International is preparing a newsletter, sent to European policymakers and decision-makers interested in urban policy. KCGS International is the international division of KCGS, the Dutch knowledge centre for larger towns and cities. It gathers, enriches and disseminates knowledge of urban policy in the Netherlands and in the wider European context. For the newsletter see: http://kcgs.gx.nl/kcgs/show/id=258395

URBANLOVERS Newsletter is offering information about events, projects, competitions, books, and exhibition regarding the urban world. The Newsletter "will help spreading the urban culture by enlightening the positive experiences that reinforce the status of the Traditional City as the most attractive and efficient form of settlement" and tries "to involve citizens, developers, public officials and administrators, as well as architects, town planners, engineers, and all the actors in the urban set in a new effort to share information and successful experiences that contribute to the construction of a better urban environment". The address is: www.avoe.org/urbanlovers.html

Events

International Congress of the Council for European Urbanism
"30 years: The European City - Review and Prospects", September 8-10, 2005 in Berlin, Germany
The congress will debate the following subjects:
" What are the traditions and perspectives of European Urbanism?
" How will European Urbanism continue to develop?
" What are today's trends, Best-Practice Methods and their possibilities for success or failure?
For more information please see: www.ceunet.de/events.htm


International Conference on "The Social Economy in Central, East and South-East Europe : emerging trends of social innovation and local development".
The conference will take place in Trento , Italy , on 22-23 September 2005.

The conference aims to increase understanding of the issues and policy options in terms of how best to stimulate social cohesion and labour market integration by leveraging social economy potential in Central East and South East Europe. The conference seeks to strengthen international co-operation, identify "best practices", develop policy recommendations and agree on policy initiatives in support of the social economy.  

Debates and discussions will focus on the following themes:

Rationale and Legal Frameworks for the Social Economy.
What is the economic rationale of social economy organisations? How can policy initiatives effectively leverage the role of social economy organisations in promoting new forms of social service delivery and labour integration towards effective social inclusion? What is the role of legal frameworks? How can best practices inform policy processes at national and sub-national level?

Social Economy tools and practices
What are the key tools and strategies that social economy organisations employ to foster labour market integration and social inclusion? What are the key factors that define good practices? What is the role of partnerships in building sustainable communities? How do networking strategies contribute to developing social innovation?

On Saturday 24 September 2005 the Trentino Federation of Cooperatives will host a Study Visit Programme to present social economy best practices in the Autonomous Province of Trento.

There are no registration fees. To register, please complete the downloadable registration form at http://www.oecd.org and return it by e-mail or fax to Mr. Stephen Girasuolo at the Trento Centre for Local Development (Stephen.Girasuolo@oecd.org , fax: +39 0461 277650). Registration is open until 9 September 2005 .

For further information, please see www.trento.oecd.org , or contact Paola Babos (Paola.Babos@oecd.org) directly.

Links

www.intbau.org/charter.htm The International Network for Traditional Building, Architecture & Urbanism is an active network of individuals and institutions dedicated to the creation of humane and harmonious buildings and places which respect local traditions.
www.ceunet.de/whoweare.htm Council for European urbanism

The Interreg III B Project REVIT - Revitalising Industrial Sites

In every country and in almost every city of North-West Europe, there are brownfield areas which need to be revitalised in order to preserve or improve the quality of urban living conditions. The revitalisation of brownfield sites may enhance coherent urban development, but can also create new employment and stimulate the local economy. Last but not least, revitalising brownfields for a variety of future uses preserves greenfield sites and prevents the growing consumption of land.

The approaches to regenerating brownfield sites are manifold and differ due to specific national legislation and administrative instruments or the local economic situation. Nevertheless, the six partner areas involved in the REVIT project - Stuttgart (D), Nantes (F), Tilburg (NL), Hengelo (NL), Torfaen (UK) and Medway (UK) - confront problems in the context of brownfield regeneration that are in essence very similar and need to be tackled more effectively.

Until the end of the project in August 2007, the transnational working teams will work together to develop new approaches for different aspects of brownfield regeneration.

The partners have identified three aspects of common interest.
The first Common Cooperation Issue is concerned with formal and informal brownfield regeneration instruments and methods that stimulate participation and community involvement.
The second Common Cooperation Issue deals with new financing techniques, public private partnership models and marketing concepts in the context of brownfield regeneration.

Multi-functional development, preservation/intelligent re-use of industrial heritage potentials and elimination of environmental damages/protection of natural assets were identified as third issue of common interest.
To ensure the effective application of the new approaches the teams will test the new tools in each partner area before publishing final recommendations. So the work programme consists of both transnational and local activities, whereas in the local projects also large investments are covered by the EU funding.

On June 22nd and 23rd in Tilburg, Netherlands, the Second REVIT Annual Conference took place. This event under the topic "Bonding and Bridging - A conference about community participation and brownfield regeneration" comprised presentations and workshops focussing on effective community participation in an international perspective.
A short description and the most interesting presentations of this conference are available at the project web side.

The next REVIT event which is of international interest will take place in Nantes on 02./03. February 2006. It will address public and real estate sectors. The two days fair "European meeting of public and private sectors" has two objectives: to shed light on the economic, operational and legal conditions and to provide a forum where participants can discuss innovative practices and share experiences. Furthermore the transnational working teams will present a web-based register of all target brownfield sites in all REVIT partner areas.

For more details about the upcoming event and REVIT, please visit the project web side at http://www.revit-nweurope.org

The REVIT Team

Re-imaging the City

Introduction

In recent decades, considerable efforts have been invested in the transformation, enhancement and promotion of city image by planners and policy-makers across Europe (Bradley et al., 2002). A negative image can be the result of any number of interconnected factors, but whatever the cause, it can lead to the formation of negative stereotypes that are often very difficult to change. In turn, planners and others trying to improve a city’s image believe that sometimes a negative image can not only be misleading, but also untrue, particularly if it is based upon negative stereotypes and false perceptions rather than reality, thus perpetuating a vicious cycle (Avraham, 2004).

However an unfavourable city image is formed, it can act as an obstacle to future growth and development, and therefore hinder competitiveness. Furthermore, a city’s public image can have far-reaching implications for a broad range of decision-makers including investors, entrepreneurs, multi-national corporations, tourists and residents (Ibid, 2004). In this respect, efforts to transform a negative image clearly make sense if people and business are to begin, or continue to invest in the area; image, after all, is crucial if we are to understand the movements of capital and people within a city (Bradley et al., 2002). This essay, therefore, attempts to outline briefly why the concept of city image has gained increased significance in contemporary urban planning and policy-making, and also describes two strategies that have been employed in practice to address this momentous challenge, namely city branding and sports re-imaging.

City Image in a Globalised World

The number of modern cities engaged in transforming their image, and the diversity of strategies used, has grown considerably in recent years (Bradley et al., 2002). Although the challenge is not a new one – the importance of city image has been recognised in modern history since colonial times – what is new is the context within which these efforts are taking place. Globalisation has given rise to a world flooded with new market locations and opportunities, within which, many cities are constantly trying to “re-package” and “refresh” their identity so as to compete more expressly with each other on an international basis (Avraham, 2004). Furthermore, with the advent of the sustainability agenda, the rationale for transforming a city’s image has extended beyond purely economical aspects that aim at marketing an area to attract investment. Present-day efforts must incorporate much more than this by taking socio-cultural and political aspects into consideration if ‘re-imaging’ efforts are to truly become a fundamental part of strategic planning. Without doubt, those who want to, and those in a position to change a city’s image face quite a challenge.

Achieving Positive Change

Terms such as ‘city marketing’, ‘place promotion’ and ‘city management’, popular in current European urban literature, all come to mind when we speak about changing a city’s image. Essentially, these terms refer to the re-presentation of a place or city in order to create and market a new image or identity which satisfies the requirements of a range of interests (Abraham, 2004). Some strategies have emphasised a city’s qualities as cultural centres or their locational advantages (Mooney, 2004; Richards & Wilson, 2004; Watkins & Herbert, 2003), whilst others have capitalised on historical events or even mythical associations in order to kick-start change and compete for tourists and business. The literature describes a variety of these strategies and how they have helped (or not) to achieve positive image changes, but what it does not adequately address is often the most difficult challenge: the initial decision of which strategy to adopt in order to effectively target the problem. This can be one of the major downfalls in attempting to change a city’s negative image. This essay, however, presents city branding and sport re-imaging as two contemporary ways of encouraging positive change.

i. City Branding

City branding is one of the more recent strategies used by policy-makers as part of the struggle to gain a positive image within the global market. Ironically, although branding attempts are aimed at creating a ‘unique’ and competitive foothold within the global market, they can have the dual effect of differentiation and collectivity, and competition and certainty. In this way, brands are not purely a source of differentiation, but also of identification, recognition, continuity and collectivity (Mommaas, 2001). Branding, however, can have a range of positive impacts on a city, most notably by providing them with:

Apart from the economic impacts, branding can also have significant socio-cultural effects by providing people, things and events with a mark; whether this is viewed in a positive or negative light requires further discussion not afforded here. One of the recognised keys to success, however, is whether or not a city brand can tap into the cultural identity of the area and its inhabitants; if so, it will hold a deeper meaning with the inhabitants and therefore prove more successful in the long-term.

Although branding is usually conducted at the city or municipality level, it can have significant implications that may spill over beyond the city boundary into neighbouring localities, cities or regions. Numerous problems and tensions between neighbouring jurisdictions can often result from this ‘spilling over’ effect, particularly where other local authorities or agencies are involved, and can often lead to a heightened sense of competition. City branding also brings the issue of political accountability to the fore when decisions have to be made concerning the long-term future image and direction of a city have to be made (Paddison, 1993). It is crucial, therefore, that these fundamental issues are taken into account so that the city is represented in a responsible and ethical way and remain true to the city and represents the core values of the local and original community.

ii. Sport Re-imaging

The value of utilising sport as a re-imaging theme has proven highly successful in recent years. Sport re-imaging refers to “a process whereby a municipal government, either alone or in partnership with private sector agencies, deliberately exploits sport to modify the image of a place” (Smith, 2004, p.218). It involves a comprehensive approach that typically includes the bidding for, and staging of, major sports events such as the World Cup or Olympic Games to enhance the awareness and appeal (and therefore the profitability) of the host location. Although most large cities utilise sport to some extent in their tourism marketing strategies, several cities have gone one step further by focussing on such “high profile spectator sports”. The events, celebrities, and increased capital associated with this particular aspect of popular culture means that it can be one of the most powerful vehicles to deliver image transformation (Ibid, 2004).

The success of sport re-imaging and its implications for the city as a whole, however, depends largely upon the compatibility of the destination image with the event staged. It is important, therefore, to locate sport re-imaging strategies within existing belief and value systems; effective sport re-imaging strategies are often those that foster existing images, rather than attempt an instantaneous revolution and image transformation. By associating sport with cities and urban areas that already have a solid sports foundation and infrastructure, the result can be a strengthening and renewing of the existing image in order to attract tourists and business (Ibid, 2004).

Like any other initiative or strategy used to present an attractive image to potential tourists, sports re-imaging is not without its downfalls. There are a number of recognised negative impacts of using sport as a re-imaging theme. It can act as a contributor to the process of urban homogenization; underlying social problems often remain largely unresolved; image concerns are prioritised at the expense of local community development; and image benefits are more often than not only felt by international commercial business interests, rather than the host cities and their inhabitants (Ibid, 2004).

Conclusion

Currently, substantial academic investigation into the impacts of re-imaging strategies is limited. This may be because the wider social, cultural, environmental and physical impacts are intangible and are often overlooked in practice. As such, a more acute understanding of the relationship between re-imaging strategies, city image and urban development must be achieved (Bradley et al., 2002).

In summary, it is contended that the very objectives of the re-imaging effort, whatever strategy is adopted, will have significant implications on the degree of positive change experienced by the city and its inhabitants. If a number of strategies are integrated and implemented simultaneously to stimulate change, they must be complementary and mutually supportive of each other. Re-imaging efforts have not always contributed to the development of the city to satisfy the requirements of all stakeholders or interests, whether socio-political, cultural, environmental, physical or any other aspect outside the main objective of economic promotion (Paddison, 1993). City re-imaging in the future should therefore be aimed at a broad set of objectives that incorporates the three pillars of sustainable development if it is to have a positive impact in the long-term. These objectives should include: economic regeneration; increasing competitiveness; attracting investment both indigenous and foreign; promoting local culture; incorporating local values; and enhancing the well-being and quality of life of its inhabitants (Ibid, 1993). It is also critical that the difference between attempting to change a city’s image whilst changing its actual reality, and attempting to change an image without changing anything real is understood (Avraham, 2004). Short-sighted strategies will more than likely lead to the latter and will inevitably fail in delivering any substantial changes in the long-term. This is one of the main concerns regarding city re-imaging: whether it accurately ‘reflects’ the city’s image and successfully enhances it, and whether or not it overlooks the wider societal implications to which it gives rise (Paddison, 1993).

References

Abraham, E. (2004) “Media strategies for improving an unfavourable city image”, Department of Communication, University of Haifa , Israel .
Bradley, A., Hall, T., & Harrison , M. (2002) “Selling Cities”, Cities, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 61-70.
Mommaas, H, (2001) “City Branding: the necessity of socio-cultural goals”. In: “City Branding: Image Building and Building Images”.
Mooney, G. (2004) “Cultural Policy as Urban Transformation? Critical Reflections on Glasgow, European City of Culture 1990”, Local Economy, Vol. 19, No. 4, pp. 327-340.
Paddison, R. (1993) “City Marketing, Image Reconstruction and Urban Regeneration”, Urban Studies, Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 339-350.
Richards, G., & Wilson, J. (2004) “The Impact of Cultural Events on City Image: Rotterdam , Cultural Capital of Europe 2001”, Urban Studies, Vol. 41, No. 10, pp. 1931-51.

Julie Gannon
The Futures Academy
Dublin Institute of Technology

Bratislava - a short introduction to the city

Bratislava, the capital of the Slovak Republic, is situated on the southern terminus of the Small Carpathian massif, spanning both sides of Danube river.
In 1919, the city of "Pressburg" was renamed "Bratislava" and joined the newly-established Czechoslovak Republic. The population increased dramatically, due to a wave of immigration from across the Slovak territory. New districts, such as Trnavka, were built, where the single family houses prevailed. In 1785 the population was 31 710; in 1869 it was 46 540; in 1938 it was 124 000 and in 1946 it reached 191 354. The most significant period of population growth, however, was in the 1950s, as prefabricated panel buildings were extensively constructed. New residential areas developed on the borders and surrounding villages became integrated into the city. In 1990, Bratislava had 452 000 inhabitants. In 1993, when the Slovak Republic was established, Bratislava became the capital city once again.
Today, Bratislava consists of 17 municipalities, each headed by its own mayor. Despite increases in immigration rates, as demonstrated above, the population of Bratislava has begun to decrease. Many residents seek to own their homes and, as the price of inner city real estate rockets, people move outside the city, into the surrounding districts.

The case area in relation
to Bratislava ciy

Please click on the thumbnail
for a larger image!

Bratislava Rača - an introduction to the municipality
The first settlement in the Rača area was the ancient Slavonic village of Okol, first recorded in 1237. In approximately 1287, Okol was divided into two parts: Okol and Rača. During the 13th century, the Hungarian court invited German craftsmen and vine-growers into the area, contributing to the significant rise in viticulture. Since the 13th century, the area has been referred to by various different names, the most common being Racišdorf.
The population was seen to increase again during the 1930s, due to the contruction of new family houses between the old Raca settlement and the railway to Trnava, and also at the turn of the 20th century, in the Východné (Rendez) area.
From April 1946, Raca became an administrative and legal district of Bratislava. Following this, the area continued to develop throughout the 1950s, as panel construction methods resulted in the development of new habitations in Krasnany and Východne. At this point, the number of inhabitants stabilized at 20 800.

The LUDA - case area in Rača - Situation
The area selected for the LUDA project is triangular in shape and is limited by the railway linking Bratislava to Galanta and Trnava, and the district boundary between Raca and Vajnory. The LUDA spans approximately one third of the whole Rača municipality. Key factors affecting the development of the area are the barriers formed by the railway lines, which cut the area off from its neighbouring districts, and the large rail depot, which prevents connections within the area.

Development of the distressed area
Bratislava's LUDA spans the localities of Východné (Rendez), Pánty and Žabí Majer. The urbanization of Východné was triggered by the establishment of a rail connection, in 1883, after a long period of negotiation between the Hungarian state and the private Austrian company Österreichische Staatseinbahngesellschaft - StEG. Following this railway development in 1883, the most important components of the LUDA area in Rača became the locomotive depot and shunting yard. Railway employees began to build small, low storey houses with slanted roofs, situated to the north of the railway tracks. As a consequence, the main streets of Vychodne were established as the heart of a railway colony.
The next key points in the evolution of the LUDA were the administrative integration of this area to Bratislava city, and the establishment of Rača as a distinct municipality. Expansion of the railway yards activated a further residential building boom, characterised by monofunctional dwelling houses, construction of basic facilities (schools etc.) and industrial and shopping complexes, mainly in 1980s. From1976 - 1980, the Police Academy was built to the north of the settlement area, including accommodation for the students. The number of inhabitants of Východné today is approximately 4 800.
The Žabí majer district is significant on account of the large industrial and warehouse complexes created in the 1990s, providing many job opportunities. However, this area lacks any significant commercial and civic services, and remains without transportational connections to the settlements in Východné and the rest of Rača.
Nowadays, this area is characterised by a series of railway tracks and storage depots. Both present barriers to pedestrians or vehicular traffic. The next key barriers are the cadastral boundaries of the Raca municipality, which create an awkward segmentation of the municipality's functional bodies, in contrast to the arrangements in the neighbouring Vajnory district.
The landscapes of Východné and Žabí majer are influenced by anthropogenic factors, which jeopardise the natural environment. These include vast stock-pile grounds with high concentrations of contamination from industry and traffic. But the area also features valuable natural sources - such as Lake Kalná. However, to optimise the value of this resource it needs to be protected and interconnected within the functional system as a whole.

The Rača LUDA story
The case study area covers much of the eastern portion of the Rača municipality, a district that was incorporated into the city in 1946. Although the western part of the municipality is famous for its productive vineyards, the eastern section, home to around 4000 inhabitants, is better characterised as a site of post-socialist economic and social distress. The 2360ha of the LUDA area is covered by a combination of uses including residential structures, industrial sites and various types of agriculture. In addition, and of major significance, the railway yards, as mentioned above, bisect the area on an east-west axis, effectively separating the northern parts of the area from Zabi Majer to the south.
The area around the main settlement space at Vychodne began to develop as a railway colony in the 1930s, at a time when the area was still some distance from the city of Bratislava itself. This position, as a strategic and industrial outpost of the capital, was consolidated in the 1950s with further industrial development and explansion of the railway yard and its operations. Over the last few decades, Vychodne's residential spaces were also subject to further development, with the construction of a series of monofunctional blocks of flats.

As a consequence, this part of Rača is now faced with many of the problems that are symptomatic of LUDAs. The quality of the urban environment around Vychodne is particularly poor, with the area lacking an explicit 'central district' from which town centre regeneration could begin. On an infrastructural basis, the LUDA district finds itself not only bisected by a huge transport depot, but also restricted in its southward connectivity to the rest of the city by the monolithic 'Istrochem' industrial area that hugs the LUDA's southern boundary. As a consequence of this structural barrier to southern expansion, the area is effectively inaccessible from the main arterial routes towards the city itself and other strategic points in the region, such as the airport and commercial/retail facilities in nearby Zlaty Piesky. Finally, and in relation to the problems mentioned above, the overall levels of service provision in the area are poor, and are in need of immediate attention.

The built environment
As noted previously, the Vychodne area has expanded over the last fifty years, acting as a railway colony for the extensive railway works south of the settlement. The urban structure, however, changed considerably during this period: street patterns changed from the conventional boulevards, featuring tenement apartments, as seen behind Dopravna, to the tower blocks and open spaces that dominate the area around Sklabinska Street and the western area around Ulica Pri Sajbach. In addition, the streets to the west of the settlement around Surska Ulica are characterised by individually designed houses, many of which have gardens.

In order to ameliorate the situation from an urban design perspective, it seems imperative to realign the disparate dimensions of the residential buildings, in order to give Vychodne a more unitary settlement structure. Than is currently the case by virtue of the wind swept and illegible spaces linking the buildings. Reifying the strategic importance of the area with an identifiable 'town centre' might be one first step towards realising this aim. Additionally, attempts to give more of a 'civic' dimension to the recreational spaces and services of the town, either by their connection with the centre, or through their individual urban design, seems another way to improve the quality of life there.

Alternatively, yet working in accordance with the above, the problems of the urban spaces could be remedied if a completely new direction was taken with regard to the building of new housing on the site. Establishing a new town centre elsewhere in the LUDA could have the desired effect of attracting new tenants and homeowners to the area in general, and later extension could reorganize the disparate elements of Vychodne in a different physical direction.

Stakeholders
One of the main aims of Rača, as a municipality partner of the LUDA project, is to find potential solutions for the area in cooperation with the inhabitants, associations and institutions that are intimately involved with the area - e.g. companies with a branch in the area, land owners, residents, schools, students etc. Their opinions and preferences need to be evaluated and incorporated into the complex task of developing an overall design solution for the territory.
The stakeholders with business activities view the Rača-Východné area as favourable, given the storage space available, acceptable land prices and rents, basic infrastructure, optimal distance to the city, proximity to the highway and transportational links to the rest of Slovakia. As a business location, the area to the north has enjoyed increasing prominence over the last 10 years and companies in the area anticipate good prospects for development. However, some elements of the social infrastructure, and higher technical infrastructure, are still missing.
Housing in the area is inadequate and of a lower standard than elsewhere in the city. Some housing is tied to the railway company for housing employees. Another part of the residential area has been converted from former factory dormitories. The prices here are lower than elsewhere in the city. Since there is quite a high demand for housing, it might be possible to orientate the housing market in the area towards simpler and cheaper forms of accommodation.
The principal problem of the area, as identified by all stakeholders, lies with the traffic and transport connections. As previously highlighted, this problem limits the further development of the area. Paradoxically, despite the area's use as a railway terminal, there is no direct passenger rail link to the city itself. The other main problem of the area is environmental pollution (dumping sites, contaminated sites) and it is clear that some of the stakeholders continue to pollute the site to the detriment of other users. There is an opportunity for the development of recreational activities in the area, such as green space, small gardens and a lake. Some parts of the area are currently used for gardening, but require improvement. Despite the aforementioned problems, the locality offers favourable conditions for mixed-use development and it is therefore necessary to supply the area with more infrastructure and public facilities in order to support further development.



Problem analysis of the main stakeholders

Surface Hydrology
On a positive note, there are several sites of ecological importance spread across the area, the most notable one being the nature reserve at Lake Kalne, lying to the extreme south west of the site. In addition, the Raciansky burn rises on the slopes of the small Carpathians above nearby Krasnany and flows in a north-easterly direction through the LUDA, fed by small tributaries and a pond until it empties into the Sursky canal some hundreds of metres outside the Raca municipality.

However, in the Master Plan for Bratislava the lake noted above is scheduled have a major road constructed alongside it, in order to link the currently isolated elements of the Masokombinat area and the industrial zone by the main access to Vychodne, 'Ulica Pri Sajbach.' In the opposite direction, to the south west of the area is Zabi Majer, which features small allotments, currently cultivated by local people. A drainage channel runs through the area, ending some metres from the Raciansky burn in waste ground traversed by railway lines. These three, potentially valuable, amenities suffer, however, from being mutually inaccessible. Our view is that, taken cumulatively, linking these three areas either together or in some other combination could represent a positive and significant improvement to the local environment. At present, they remain physically isolated from one another.

Open spaces
The most significant open space exists to the north and west of the LUDA site, in an area drained by the Raciansky stream, which runs through the middle. At present, this grass-covered space extends to the north as far as the industrial complex at Masokombinat, and to the north-east, as far as the 'Vojensky Utvar' military academy. To the east, the fields stretch as far as the light aircraft aerodrome at Vajnory. The overarching problem of this space is that, since the transformation period in the early 1990s, ownership of this land has been not regulated. Handing the land back to the descendents of the original owners proved difficult, and the overall ownership issue has yet to be resolved. Nevertheless, in the meantime, this flat, open area is populated by a number of ducks, red deer and, in the pond to the north- west, swans as well.

Allotments
The characteristic feature of the southern, and particularly the south-western, parts of the site are the allotments, which cover much of the area to the south of the railway depot and either side of the industrial zone. As is the case elsewhere in Europe, growing pressure for land in major cities is leading to a reduction in space allocated to urban gardeners. The Master Plan for Bratislava proposes that the southern radial route around the city, designed to tunnel through the small Carpathians, should pass through the area of Zabi Majer. However, this scheme would be extremely problematic for the allotment holders.

The site is otherwise unsuitable for any residential developments due to the presence of large electricity pylons. As a consequence, the conversion of this site to transportational or industrial use, as indicated in the Master Plan, would seem to be not only expedient but sensible. Nevertheless, this is not to say that allotments do not have a role to play here. The most encouraging and well operated land use in the whole Rača LUDA area would seem to be the well-tended allotment gardens around Lake Kalne.

Industry
As noted, the area around Vychodne has been developed to support the burgeoning railway depot. This major land use function is still of strategic importance to the city and the region. To the south of the railway site, the central portion of Zabi Majer features a well developed industrial estate, occupied by international firms such as Wurth, Durisol and Termotechna. On either side of this estate, however, allotment gardens and the Lake Kalne currently preclude any further industrial developments, hence the large green areas which feature here.

To the north of the railway site, the largest part of the territory is taken up by fields, cultivated by the agricultural cooperative farm that is situated by the area's northern pond. West of Vychodne, and southwest of the cooperative farm is a significant industrial space running roughly to the north of the main road into the Ulica pri Sajbach area. One of the major industries here is the Unifruit fruit and vegetable packaging plant, occupying a site just to the west of the Raciansky stream as it crosses beneath Ulica Pri Sajbach. Some improvement of this area is required and segregating the industrial and housing functions around this locality would be a priority intervention.
In addition, the extreme northern-most corner of the LUDA has evolved from a different transport channel than that of the central area. In this section, which is effectively dislocated from Vychodne, development has occured in a strip, sandwiched between the main north-south railway on the western boundary of the LUDA, and the road that runs to the south of Vajnory. This area is characterised by industrial decline, owing to the asset-stripping practices of the 1990s, when public industrial plants were sold on to the private sector. However, a number of educational establishments remain in existence: the Collegue of railways, of Commerce and the Military Academy.
The lack of any practical road link between these two areas means that the industrial site cannot operate as a cohesive and logical strategic whole; but as a series of disjointed work areas. In addition, while the northerly sections of the LUDA could accommodate increased industrial developments on a unified industrial estate, the current situation means that much of the industrial traffic requiring access to industrial sites in the north of the LUDA is forced to pass directly through the heart of Vychodne. Interestingly, the Master Plan for Bratislava suggests that two radial roads should circle the city of Bratislava, and appear from tunnels through the Small Carpathians at points to the north of Raca's LUDA, and in the Zabi Majer. Such an intervention could solve part of the problem outlined above, and could establish the area around the former Masokombinat plant as an important logistical centre for transport.

Transport
The scheme outlined above could vastly improve the impact of through traffic and heavy goods vehicles on Vychodne Ulica and Ulica Pri Sajbach. However, it will not remedy the disconnection of the northern areas from Zabi Majer, in the eastern part of the LUDA. Nevertheless, it would certainly help to clarify Vychodne as a residential quarter, and the fruit and vegetable plant and old Masokombinat site as industrial spaces.
Further, the construction of the aforementioned radial roads, coupled with another development to link the old Masokombinat site with the industrial areas at the western end of the rail depot, could secure the status of the LUDA's numerous 'rat runs' as designated pedestrian walkways or cycle paths. At the moment, these routes are still occasionally used by cars - designated walkways are only found in the open spaces around the fields of the cooperative farm and along the Raciansky burn. For the walker or cyclist, an early and obvious improvement would be to connect the various leisure features, including Lake Kalne. Although such connections do exist at present, the routes that these take are not altogether obvious, and passage through the rail depot especially is awkward.
At present, public transport in the Rača LUDA is provided by bus numbers 52, 54 and 56. However, none of these services provides a direct link to Bratislava city centre, as one might expect from a suburban bus service. Although the bus services do connect with linking buses and trams elsewhere in Raca, this extra inconvenience means that travel time between the city centre and the LUDA, by public transport, takes around 40 minutes; a time that could easily be reduced. The road improvement noted above, between the western portion of the rail depot and the old Masokombinat site, offers the potential to link any expansion of Vychodne with the functioning 'Stanica Bratislava Raca' passenger railway station. Similarly, although not made explicit on the Master Plan, the size of the rail depot would suggest that there might be scope for opening a further passenger station in Vychodne.

Conclusion
As one might expect, the Rača LUDA features many problems. However, what this brief overview shows is that, despite these often structural, land-use problems, there are still many positive aspects to glean from this survey. Firstly, there are a number of residential facilities which, with basic structural repairs, will rapidly improve an important central part of the urban area. Such 'early wins' would presumably be highly beneficial to gaining momentum during the regeneration 'take off' stage. Secondly, large areas of open space are available, should a change of direction in the residential district's physical orientation be scheduled. Thirdly, the prescriptions of the Master Plan provide a logical and strategic start to the process, defining the future of the area in terms of its increased connectivity to the rest of the city. Finally, the strength of the landscape and built environment around Lake Kalne is quite striking, and has potential to become a strong local theme, in terms of a design direction that can be carried on elsewhere as the regeneration process gets underway.

Bratislava Raca Team

LUDA Project Team

Project Director: Professor Bernhard Mueller

Weberplatz 1
01217 Dresden (Germany)

fon 0049 351 4679 0
fax 0049 351 4679 212

Editorial staff
Dr. Carlos Smaniotto Costa
Christiane Westphal
Patrycja Bielawska - Roepke
Leander Kuettner
Markus Egermann

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