A regenerative design strategy for the railway barrier in Praga Północ, Warsaw
(2026) ASBM01 20261Department of Architecture and Built Environment
- Abstract
- What happens when the infrastructure designed to connect a city ends up dividing it instead? This thesis investigates the relationship between urban mobility and spatial justice, examining how roads, railways, and transit corridors generate barriers that are not only physical but social and cultural: separating communities, limiting access to opportunity, and reinforcing patterns of inequality inscribed in the urban fabric over decades. It argues that mobility is not merely a technical question of movement, but a critical dimension of equity - determining who can participate fully in city life and who is left at its margins.
The design project responds directly to these findings. Located near Dworzec Wileński in Praga Północ - one of... (More) - What happens when the infrastructure designed to connect a city ends up dividing it instead? This thesis investigates the relationship between urban mobility and spatial justice, examining how roads, railways, and transit corridors generate barriers that are not only physical but social and cultural: separating communities, limiting access to opportunity, and reinforcing patterns of inequality inscribed in the urban fabric over decades. It argues that mobility is not merely a technical question of movement, but a critical dimension of equity - determining who can participate fully in city life and who is left at its margins.
The design project responds directly to these findings. Located near Dworzec Wileński in Praga Północ - one of Warsaw's most historically layered and infrastructurally fragmented districts - the proposal is rooted in both existing urban conditions and the city's long-term urban development ambitions. At its core is a new mobility hub conceived as a major interchange connecting tram, bus, rail, cycling, and pedestrian movement. The relocation of railway tracks below Aleja Solidarności unlocks a new strip of land, transformed into a mixed-use development of housing, workspaces, and cultural programs - stitching together the previously fragmented edges of the district. The street itself is reimagined as a green boulevard with a new tram line at its centre, replacing car dominance with a corridor of movement and public life.
Praga Północ carries a strong and distinctive identity - shaped by its pre-war architecture that survived the Second World War, its working-class history, and its thriving cultural and artistic community. The design strategies seek to honour this character, ensuring that regeneration strengthens and preserves the social fabric and cultural life that make Praga irreplaceable. Through scale, permeability, and the generosity of public space, the project transforms a zone of division into a place where people choose to be. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9229556
- author
- Galas, Hanna LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- ASBM01 20261
- year
- 2026
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- urban design regeneration mobility barriers transport infrastructure architecture
- language
- English
- id
- 9229556
- date added to LUP
- 2026-06-01 09:04:37
- date last changed
- 2026-06-01 09:04:37
@misc{9229556,
abstract = {{What happens when the infrastructure designed to connect a city ends up dividing it instead? This thesis investigates the relationship between urban mobility and spatial justice, examining how roads, railways, and transit corridors generate barriers that are not only physical but social and cultural: separating communities, limiting access to opportunity, and reinforcing patterns of inequality inscribed in the urban fabric over decades. It argues that mobility is not merely a technical question of movement, but a critical dimension of equity - determining who can participate fully in city life and who is left at its margins.
The design project responds directly to these findings. Located near Dworzec Wileński in Praga Północ - one of Warsaw's most historically layered and infrastructurally fragmented districts - the proposal is rooted in both existing urban conditions and the city's long-term urban development ambitions. At its core is a new mobility hub conceived as a major interchange connecting tram, bus, rail, cycling, and pedestrian movement. The relocation of railway tracks below Aleja Solidarności unlocks a new strip of land, transformed into a mixed-use development of housing, workspaces, and cultural programs - stitching together the previously fragmented edges of the district. The street itself is reimagined as a green boulevard with a new tram line at its centre, replacing car dominance with a corridor of movement and public life.
Praga Północ carries a strong and distinctive identity - shaped by its pre-war architecture that survived the Second World War, its working-class history, and its thriving cultural and artistic community. The design strategies seek to honour this character, ensuring that regeneration strengthens and preserves the social fabric and cultural life that make Praga irreplaceable. Through scale, permeability, and the generosity of public space, the project transforms a zone of division into a place where people choose to be.}},
author = {{Galas, Hanna}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{A regenerative design strategy for the railway barrier in Praga Północ, Warsaw}},
year = {{2026}},
}