The presence of nature in a city, especially one growing so spontaneously, has always aroused ambivalent feelings in its residents. Although, the city bears a yearning for “wild” nature (whose classic realization are English gardens), urban actions are aimed at keeping a safe distance from it. In contemporary cities “wild” nature appeared in the post-war ruins, post-industrial wastelands, peripheral cemeteries, etc. For many people, they are a symbol of degradation and oblivion, therefore, are often subjected to intensive restoration and conservation, which brings about liquidation of wildlife. But is it right? Have these places really lost all the power of recalling memories — these private and collective? In my speech, I will try to answer these questions, based on the study of a luna park in Coney Island (New York), Weißensee Jewish Cemetery (Berlin) and Spreeinsel — historical centre of Berlin.

Recent studies of the biographical identity of man go back to the concept of memory as the foundation of self-determination of an individual. Less attention is paid to social memory. Memory is rooted in a particular space. The more heterogeneous the space is (e.g. urban space), the greater diversity of memories it implies. Modern space becomes a manual for memory, focused on identifying, through space, locations in reminiscence. This article attempts to describe the role of space in the study of social memory. Emphasis is put on the research process, especially the interview which uses photographs and maps.

This article presents a creative and destabilising function of art created in urban public space. This public space is here seen according to the view of belgian philosopher Chantal Mouffe as agon — battleground and confrontation of hegemonic projects. Public art is one approach to take the floor in a public debate this is why it has a political character. Krzysztof Wodiczko is a creator of this type of art who postulates creation through democratic public space art and promotes public domain. This article particularly shows his concept contained in “The Abolition of War” publication.

The subject of this article is culinary trends observable in Polish cities during the past few years. They include both the rediscovered practices, directly related to the cultural (culinary) heritage of a particular area, and these which have become popular only recently. According to the author, characteristic culinary fads are: the promotion of local delicacies on a large scale, growing interest in shopping in farmers’ markets offering organic produce (bio-markets) and traditional goods, growing popularity of street food (including street food festivals and picnics), and organizing the so called “breakfast on the grass” events.

Images constituting the world of Google Street View most frequently represent order in urban public space. We use this application for directions and trip planning. But we can also look at Street View images differently. The author of the article analyzes creepypasta stories (anonymous short scary online legends posted on various message boards) that are happening in the visual world created by Google. The main objective is to describe elements creating the aesthetics of anxiety and strategies used to construct the experience of the uncanny in the world of Street View.

This paper regards the urban street as social space, where different symbolic interactions occur between individuals and groups of people. The established social and political order within this space happens to be disturbed by different forms of protest. An article attempts to compare the course of riots in former times to those at present. The comparison implies that the functional grandness of the urban street belongs to the past. This is mainly caused by new legal regulations restricting freedom of assembly and the new tele-electronic media space, and by a deepening division of the Polish society into different groups of interest, and its consequent inability to consolidate. An indirect cause also is the new order and mentality developed in democratic societies and by a consumeristic lifestyle.

Transformations of the functional and spatial structure of the city are a process in which spontaneous phenomena may occur. Designers of urban space may draw inspiration from the spontaneous activity in the natural environment. In the city, which is considered man’s natural habitat, spontaneous actions of the users of space generate chaos, but also initiate a new order. By using a variety of spatial planning instruments, one may prevent the possible destructive consequences of spontaneity. In this regard, the principles of shaping urban spaces inside culture parks are of particular importance.

Open public spaces (including streets, squares and parks) are common property of residents. They are, however, within the scope of city councils which, by means of laws, decide who and how can use them. The main user of this space is the city, that is the city council, which either organizes or co-organizes most mass events. Their main features (the article only discusses ludic events) are: regularity, organization, predictability and order. These enents are “proper” in every respect. On the other hand, some groups of city dwellers, particularly young people (secondary school pupils, students, and “skaters”) want to entertain themselves in public urban spaces according to their preferances. Their activities are most frequently chaotic, improvised and even anarchist. They are anything but “proper”. This breeds conflicts between these goals and the authorities represented by city wardens and the police. The conflict: city authorities versus tourists and locals, participating in wild and often obscene “displays” in the public spaces of Krakow, is even more drastic. On the one hand, the conflicts described in the article allow us to show the forms and ways of dramatization of urban space. On the other hand, they are an obvious proof of unrelenting fight of the antagonists: city authorities, who consider themselves monopolists — sole proprietors of public space, and different groups of residents, as well as tourists overtly expressing their conviction that this space belongs to everybody and that any usurpations are civil rights violations. Whichever approach we take, it has to be said that the conflict is both structural (it arises from different aims and convictions of the participating groups) and permanent (it escalates and wanes, but always exists).

The present paper concerns the performances held in open urban spaces, in places not designed as exhibition or theatre space. This creates new possibilities of use and transformation; the space may serve a new purpose. I am particularly interested in “busking”, a kind of street performance that is overtly commercial. For many, it is fun, for others a temporary way to earn a living, and also to become known as an artist. Contemporary “busking” continues the traditions of old fair shows and folk performances, which involved singing, showing tricks, dancing, juggling and other skills or animal training.

Maidan Nezalezhnosti in Kiev is not just a geographic location, the city’s central square, but an area of freedom etched on the topography of the Ukrainian collective memory, an element of the symbolic resources on which today’s Ukrainian identity is founded. The concept of “Maidan” is filled with rich symbolic content. Maidan has become a social, political, ethical and religious category. Ukrainian revolution, Crimean crisis, separatist aspirations in Donetsk and Lugansk show how complicated the nation-building processes in Ukraine are. The role of Maidan in shaping citizenship among the competitive strategies of identity is worth noting. The question arises if a modern political nation was born in Maidan. Referring to my own observations made in Kiev in January and February 2013, the Ukrainian media coverage and numerous conversations with residents of Kiev, I would like to point to Kiev’s Maidan as a symbol in contemporary collective identity of Ukrainians.

This paper focuses on an African street experienced as profoundly contradictory. It departs from Adeline Masquelier`s observation that this landscape is an object of both fascination and terror, and a space of both fear and desire. The street offers jobs, goods and economic opportunities, but it can also lead to isolation, marginalization and fatalities. The paper is based on field research undertook in Omdurman in 2013 and granted by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

The paper is a voice in the current of research on ludic behaviour realized within the social and cultural space of the contemporary city. The object of study is a phenomenon known on the Internet as shoefiti. The article approaches the practice of throwing shoes tied together with shoe strings onto electric or telephone cables as a category of ludic behaviour. I present the results of existing studies and indicate further research possibilities.

The study regards major social associations and individual initiatives in social networks, which carry out the idea of the right to the city. The object of analysis is the multimedia material posted on the Internet, capturing an image of a virtual city created by spontaneous actions of residents. The described visible activity is an expression of an arising reflective approach toward urban space. The change in residents’ mindsets about their role is facilitated by the network connection of participants. The efficacy of these networks creates an influential environment which has a considerable impact on today’s city management.

This article is concerned with the importance for urban studies of the role of the sonic environment in making the dwelling space familiar, developing a sense of belonging and building a community. We analyze three selected interviews with Wroclaw residents conducted within a project on the audiosphere and the soundscape of Wroclaw. The analysis attempts at determining what sounds our respondents described as specific for their place of residence, and what emotions, meanings and values were connected with this soundscape. Our study reveals an active role played by acoustic phenomena in the process of domesticating. R.M. Schafer’s conception of soundscape and B. Latour’s actor-network theory are the theoretical background for our analysis.

The article is focused on analyzing the relationship between the city and the citizen. Currently, the city applies the principle of responsible behaviour, in which the city stands out as a good citizen to respond to the needs of its key partners — citizens. The aim of the article is to analyze, on the example of selected municipal governments of the Slovak Republic and their activities, the readiness of the government for partnership with citizens, and to propose how to manage this relationship. The research was conducted between 2012 and 2013 in selected urban municipalities of the Slovak Republic’s Banska Bystrica region: Banska Bystrica, Zvolen and Žiar Hronom. An analysis of the relationship between the city and citizen was carried out by means of open interviews with the municipal authorities, questioning citizens and own observations. The results of our research showed that, irrespective of the size of the city, selected municipalities showed a low level of preparedness for the creation of partnerships with citizens.

The paper addresses the issue of preservation and transformation of traditional cultural elements in contemporary urban space. Attention is focused on northern Spiš, characterized by a proximity to Slovak-Polish culture, specifically on the town of Poprad. The paper documents preservation and transformation of traditions (based on Christmas) in contemporary urban environment and society. Tourism plays a significant part in the process of social and cultural development. The role of autonomy as a determinant of social and cultural events in urban environment is also not negligible.

On the territory of Poland, one can find numerous buildings, which became desolate as a result of the political transformation in 1989. Many have already been demolished to make room for new housing estates. Nevertheless, some still exist, and they are only visited by people specializing in their exploration. This article concerns these explorers, whose main goal is remembering the vanishing world. This world is vanishing for good right before our eyes. The article focuses on the similarities and differences between explorers. It also presents main ideas and principles of the movement, as well as the results of a recent stage of quantitative research.

For the residents of Cieszyn Silesia, especially Czech, the establishment of national boundaries along the course of the Olza River in 1920, meant that they had to form a new picture of the world and determine their own place in the community, which also had to be redefined. For Zaolzie residents, the process of constructing their own identity depends on mechanisms of competition, negotiation and power (media, education and administration). It also is a consequence of the recognition of the boundary as something natural and “ever” existent. The clash of different self-identifications is seen on the symbolic level, especially linguistic.