Real estate or industry?

Aleksandra Wołodźko, CEO of Greenfields, shares her full comment below:
https://www.pb.pl/krakow-wywola-wojne-mieszkancow-z-firmami-ekspert-tak-sie-skonczy-planowanie-osiedli-obok-przemyslu-1260895

“Every city needs spaces both for residents and for business, logistics and industry. Factories, warehouses, sorting facilities and urban service back-up areas are just as necessary as new residential development. However, we need to be honest: not all functions can be combined without conflict in every location. We should therefore avoid using the term ‘mixed-use’ uncritically. A well-designed multifunctional space is not about randomly placing residential buildings next to, for example, industrial activity, whose very nature involves certain impacts. Genuine ‘mixed-use’ should be based on a conscious selection of functions that complement one another and jointly enhance the quality of the city, rather than creating tensions and conflicts.

Industrial uses operate according to their own logic. They involve production processes, logistics, deliveries, loading operations, the operation of technical equipment, truck traffic, increased transport activity and, often, a 24-hour operating rhythm. These are not deviations from the norm, but natural features of this type of activity. It is therefore difficult to expect their owners to limit the fundamental elements of their operations simply because new residential development is beginning to appear nearby. This is all the more true given that, very often, these are businesses that have operated in a given location for many years, investing, employing people and developing their business on the basis of a defined land-use function. Areas with an established industrial function should be treated as an important urban asset and consistently maintained within separate planning units, with a clear vision for their further development.

My experience shows that combining production with residential development generates problems. A good example is the situation in Warsaw’s Praga-Północ district, where a zoning decision was issued for multi-family residential buildings on plots located directly next to the Develey Polska factory, which has been operating there for more than 20 years.

In such a situation, a fundamental question arises: who should bear the consequences of introducing residential development directly next to existing industry? The entrepreneur who conducts business in line with the character of the place and the previous designation of the land? Or the residents, who will have to deal with the nuisances resulting from living next to an industrial plant? This is why changes in land use require, above all, responsibility, foresight and a long-term vision for the city’s development. If the city believes that a given area has residential potential, it should work out a solution with the landowner well in advance - on market terms, with the consent of all parties and with a realistic plan for relocating the business. Such processes need to be planned ahead, rather than allowing conflicts to arise between new residents and existing industrial facilities.

Let us combine functions wisely, industrial use is not an obstacle to urban development - it is an essential part of it. Let us create high-quality, diverse urban fabrics, but also remember that not every form of multifunctionality - especially the combination of residential and industrial uses - constitutes well-designed ‘mixed-use’ development.”