The quality of urban space in Bydgoszcz and the subjective participation of seniors in shaping the space – an empirical study

Abstract

This article refers to the social dimension of urban policy. The importance of this issue has evolved significantly in recent years, and the need to create space in cooperation with residents and its users in order to achieve its highest possible quality is already a kind of imperative. However, these practices, especially in Poland, can rarely be considered successful. The subject of the article is the presentation of partial results of empirical research conducted among the inhabitants of Bydgoszcz. By filtering out the largest age group – residents over 65 years of age, the townspeople’s position on the quality of Bydgoszcz’s urban space and their participation in the process of shaping it was verified. The hypothesis was that Bydgoszcz seniors demonstrate a relatively low level of participation in the process of shaping urban space. The analysis of the collected empirical material made it possible to assess the effectiveness of the urban policy implemented in Bydgoszcz in terms of shaping space for the oldest residents. The research results confirmed the hypothesis that Bydgoszcz seniors have a very low level of participation in the processes of shaping urban space. Moreover, they showed that lack of knowledge of social participation tools is the primary reason for the lack of this activity. In turn, respondents assessed the condition of urban space and living conditions relatively well. The considerations show that the participation and social inclusion of seniors is a significantly neglected element of the urban policy implemented in Bydgoszcz, therefore it is difficult to describe it as fully effective. The content contained in the article constitutes a diagnosis, which is an important signal for decision-makers and urban practitioners.