#1 Krakow Metropolis

The visit to the first European city on our tour has come to an end. We’re off to Trencin, but not before sharing some of what we’ve seen in terms of sustainable good practices in Krakow.

Krakow’s eco-incinerator is the green solution by which waste is transformed into energy. The garbage generated by the residents of the city is processed and through combustion the 220,000 tons become 65,000 MWh of electricity and 280,000 MWh of heat. The process is renewable and organic, especially if we refer to the latest technology filters that purify the emissions generated by the combustion process.

Aviators’ Park is one of the most beloved places in Krakow by citizens of all ages. The 150 hectares include gardens with modernist sculptures as well as playgrounds, sports areas, promenade areas, a skatepark, a lake and fountains. The park is located near the Arena Tauron stadium, where both sports competitions and artistic events are organized.

Jerzy Muzyk – Deputy Mayor of the City of Krakow

Park & Ride Skawina is another example of best practices in the Krakow metropolitan area, this time in the field of mobility. Located 20 km from Krakow, the town of Skawina has created the perfect context for using public transport. In the park & ride area next to the city’s train station, both personal cars and bicycles can be left so that citizens can commute to Krakow in a 20-minute train ride compared to the 60 minutes it would take to travel by personal car. Thus, traffic in the municipality is reduced and citizens are increasingly encouraged to give up their personal cars.

Niepołomickie Park is another attraction in the metropolitan area that offers a wide range of activities for citizens and tourists. Passers-by can see what a duck village looks like, walk through a horse training area, dog owners can use animal recreation equipment to spend a day with their companions, there are also rain gardens, hedgehog houses, hotels for insects and even a picnic area for resting. Regarding leisure, the park offers a maze, a warped mirror, a mill wheel, a pin art, as well as a constellation and planetary system in an appropriate scale and color scheme.

Adam Twardowski – Deputy Mayor of Niepołomickie City

These are some examples of good practices from Krakow. After discussing with local administration leaders, we learned more about how Polish people see sustainable development, but we will talk about this topic later. Stay close to UrbanizeHub during our European Tour! Together we shape the future of cities.

Functional Areas in the EU is a project developed by the World Bank for the European Commission and we are glad that UrbanizeHub is part of this project.

Photo source: Magazymbiomasa, inyourpocket, gazetakrakowska, dziennikpolski24, TVN24