Tamed Ugliness: The Problems of Shaping and Appreciating the Aesthetics of Polish Urban Spaces

Abstract

This article is an attempt to compile the existing knowledge from many fields about the aesthetics of Polish urban space: the conditions of its creation, its perception, and the problems it currently faces, of which a pressure for absolute aestheticisation appears to be the most dangerous. Through a multidisciplinary literature review as well as an analysis of public discourse and interviews with experts, the author attempts to answer the question about why there is such a large discrepancy in the assessment of the aesthetics of urban spaces in Poland, as well as how this is influenced by cultural, legal, administrative, and historical conditions.

Keywords

• aesthetics of public space
• urban aesthetics
• cityscape
• spatial management
• polish cultural landscape
• post-socialist urban culture