Placemaking Week Europe 2026

Name: Local Challenge 3: Under the Great Island Avenue
Start: 2026-09-24T14:15:00+0200
End: 2026-09-24T17:30:00+0200

Creating better cities together.

Local Challenge 3: Under the Great Island Avenue

Thursday September 24, 2026 2:15pm - 5:30pm CEST

Entrance of the Wroclaw Congress Center (RCTB) - meeting point

This session will take place entirely on site at the Local Challenge. To join us, you can either:
- meet us by the entrance of Wrocław Congress Hall at 2:15 PM and walk together to the site.
- meet us directly on site! We’re starting at 2:30 PM. You can find the site by searching for “Al. Wielkiej Wyspy” on Google Maps or by following the pin below: https://maps.app.goo.gl/91dzY59JcZgpoTGe6

Where Wroclaw’s Great Island Avenue passes over the Oder river its bridge creates underutilized space underneath. As the natural waterfront is a popular route for runners and walkers, the overpass offers an opportunity to explore how overlooked infrastructural spaces can become active public places. FAKIE SkateWro has taken up the initiative to establish a skatepark on one of its banks, which has gained a lot of support within the city. But more is needed to make this an attractive and lively place for people.

In this local challenge we will explore: How can the overpass become a safe, cared-for and flexible public space that supports informal uses, sports and new forms of community activity?

We will gather international best practices on how to activate leftover spaces under bridges and highways, and develop a process that responds to local needs, strengthens existing assets and creates a sustainable model for its management. And as Wroclaw - and many other cities around the world - have plenty of such spaces, the outcomes could serve as a model to apply elsewhere. Bring your best practices and lessons learned, and leave a positive impact on Wroclaw this Placemaking Week Europe.

Moderators

Fredrik Lindstål

Founder of Glad Stad, Board member of Placemaking Europe, Glad Stad

Speakers

Elżbieta Komarzyńska-Świeściak

Architect and assistant professor at Faculty of Architecture, Wrocław University of Science and Technology

Elżbieta Komarzyńska-Świeściak, PhD, Architect, is an architect, researcher and academic at the Faculty of Architecture, Wrocław University of Science and Technology. For more than ten years, she has focused on the adaptation and activation of underused and abandoned urban spaces... Read More →

Lea Kazanecka-Olejnik

Anna Kaczmarczyk

Wrocław Skateboarding Association FAKIE

Katarzyna Piskorek

Anna Wancel

PhD Candidate, Wrocław University of Science and Technology

Anna Wancel is an architect and PhD researcher in Architecture and Urban Planning. Her research focuses on urban marketplaces, with particular interest in their spatial and functional organization, adaptability, and changing patterns of use. Her work explores how marketplaces can... Read More →

Franciszek Linke

Spatial Planning student, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Architecture

Franciszek Linke is an urbanist and Spatial Planning graduate from the Faculty of Architecture at Wrocław University of Science and Technology. His work explores how cities can become more resilient, inclusive and human-centred — from placemaking and tactical urbanism to accessibility... Read More →

Thursday September 24, 2026 2:15pm - 5:30pm CEST
Entrance of the Wroclaw Congress Center (RCTB) - meeting point Wystawowa 1, 51-618 Wrocław, Poland

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