Classification and analysis of social participation initiatives in a post-industrial city – a case study of Pabianice

Abstract

This paper deals with the transformations of (post)industrial towns in Poland, which took place during the transition from a centralised communist economy to liberal capitalism. As a consequence, a number of areas became redundant. These malfunctioning spaces represent serious spatial, social and economic problems. The complex multifaceted nature of towns means, however, that there were no simple solutions leading to immediate improvements. Investments focused on particular, isolated areas appeared to be far from sufficient interventions. Therefore, comprehensive programmes aimed at holistic urban regeneration are more common nowadays. Since local community wellbeing is one of the key factors in these renewal schemes, social participation is a crucial part of the process. This allows residents to have an influence on the regeneration of their town, which (if well carried out) is expected to improve space, economy and quality of life. The above-mentioned issues will be analysed on the basis of a case study of Pabianice, a post-industrial town in the province of Lodz. The aim of this study is to examine the social participation initiatives implemented during the preparation of the Regeneration Programme for Pabianice – to classify them and to compare them with models regarding the level of social involvement and power in the urban regeneration process described in the paper.