Assessment of New Sustainable Housing Project in Gdynia Using Justification Tools for Health-Promoting Urban Design and Architecture

Accepted: 18 Jan. 2022 This paper presents the assessment of Gdynia-Zachód–a new sustainable housing project in Gdynia. This assessment uses a series of justification tools: the universal standard for health-promoting places and the universal standard for eco-neighborhood design. The first tool evaluates the therapeutic qualities of public open green space–public park and walkability of pathways leading to open green space. The second one assesses the basic sustainability standards and lifestyle quality. Gdynia-Zachód is a flagship urban development based on a new urbanism charter. The charette and workshops were organized to invite public participation in this project. The project is still under development, but it was assumed it is a good moment for the assessment to justify future design decisions. This study also demonstrated the practical usage of the universal standards as justification tools.


INTRODUCTION
The objectives of the paper are as follows: 1. The main objective is to present an assessment of a new flagship of sustainable housing projects in Gdynia using justification tools for health-promoting urban design and architecture.
2. The additional objective presents potential strategies on how to improve the health-promoting qualities of that housing projects through urban planning and design, 3. The case study example presents the justification tools for health-promoting urban design and architecture.
It aims to shed further light on practical ways to implement the theoretical research on health-promoting urban places into the practice of eco-neighborhoods design and improve the quality of life through urban planning and design. The outcomes of this paper may provide a refinement to existing literature and implementation models of health-promoting urban design and architecture. They can provide theoretical and methodological guidance for further empirical research.
There is a plethora of research on the impact of urban design on human well-being. Gesler (1996Gesler ( : 96, 2005 proposed the concept of therapeutic landscape. He defined therapeutic landscapes as follows: "physical and built environments, social conditions and human perceptions combine to produce an atmosphere which is conducive to healing." Based on therapeutic landscapes, the concept of healthpromoting places was coined to define the everyday places that unite the qualities of therapeutic landscapes, i.e., material aspects, social constructions, symbolic significances, and allegories of positive aspects of human health and well-being to influence people physical, mental and spiritual healing (Trojanowska and Sas-Bojarska, 2018). Considerable research evidences the importance of regular contact with nature for health promotion and longevity (CABE, 2010;Edwards and Tsouros, 2008;Marcus and Sachs, 2014;Salingaros and Masden, 2008;Takano et al., 2002;Ulrich, 2008;Webster et al., 2014). Research document that urban design can promote health and longevity (Alexander et al., 1977;Antonovsky, 1996;Bell, 2012Bell, , 2017Corburn, 2009;Register, 2006;Wakefield and McMullan, 2006). Mouratidis (2021), after extensive literature review, listed the following categories of urban planning strategies for improving subjective well-being (SWB) in cities: integration of urban nature, easy access to socially inclusive public spaces, high-quality communal spaces, easy and equitable access to a diversity of facilities and services, active travel and public transport, development of information and communications technology, maintenance of urban spaces, noise reduction, aesthetic quality, socio-spatial equity, and knowledgeable evidence-based urban planning processes.
Those research findings provide valuable insights. However, the identified gap in knowledge concerns the implementation strategies. The research question is how to put these findings into the planning practice? To what extent are the modern sustainable neighborhoods designed according to research evidence? The sustainable development and high quality of life pair in contemporary eco-neighborhoods. We can find examples of sustainable neighborhoods in many European countries: e.g., Hammarby Sjöstad in Stockholm, Vauban in Fribourg, Eva Lanxmeer in Amsterdam, and over 50 certified eco-neighborhoods in France. This study focuses on a flagship project developed in Gdynia, Poland. There are numerous challenges and opportunities for urban development in Poland (Denis et al., 2021). Some are similar to the worldwide situation, but specific local circumstances result from historical and geopolitical struggles of central European post-communistic societies.

STUDY AREA: NEW NEIGHBORHOOD STRIVING FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
In Gdynia, at the tip of northern Poland, an ambitious new housing project was launched at the beginning of the XXI. century (Figure 1). The garden city ideas and charter for new urbanism provided the theoretical bases for this development. The charrette and workshops were organized in 2012, from 22 to 25 May 2012, in the new kindergarten at Staniszewskiego street. All the stakeholders: representatives of Gdynia Municipal Office, urban planners from the Gdańsk University of Technology, specialists from the Hossa S.A.-major investor and developer, and representatives of the local community, as well as local and international well-known experts.
For three days, the Charette focused on three standard solutions for: 1. Effective transportation strategies, 2. Sustainable development of the districts and creation of local workplaces, and 3. Design of friendly public space.
A vital part of Charette was a meeting with the local community, which gathered around 80 people.
Part of the ambitious project set in 2012 has already been constructed until 2019. This new neighborhood was chosen for assessment using a series of justification tools. The fulfillment of sustainable development goals was evaluated for the stage of development as it was in the summer of 2019. At the same time, the creation of health-promoting urban places was assessed using the tool prepared to evaluate therapeutic landscapes and the qualities of walkways. The new neighborhood boundaries encompass approx. 27 km 2 , which is 20% of the area of the entire city. 45% of the new neighborhood area is covered by forest-A Tri-City Landscape Protection Park. The development of the new neighborhood was set a priority among the town spatial policies.
The local private development company Hossa is constructing the vast majority of the new neighborhood. This housing project is still under construction, but six housing complexes are already mostly finished and inhabited: Sokółka I, Fort Forest, Sokółka II, Sokółka-Zelenisz, Patio Róży, and Wiczlino-Ogród. Their design and materials differ. They are sold to individual buyers, and the offer is diversified to target various budgets. There are apartments offered for different price ranges. Fort Forest is the most upscale and expensive, Patio Róży and Wiczlino-Ogród more affordable. Part of the social and commercial infrastructure of the new neighborhood has also been constructed (Figure 2 and Figure 3). Gdynia-Zachód is a flagship urban development based on a new urbanism charter. The charette and workshops were organized to invite public participation in this project. Therefore, this neighborhood was chosen for this study.

METHODS
This study assessed the Gdynia-Zachód neighborhood with two justification tools developed by the researcher: the universal standard for health-promoting places and econeighborhoods design. This research was also performed to demonstrate the practical usage of the universal standards. The universal standards for the design are ready-to-use tools for the designers, developers, and the general public. They can be used to assess the therapeutic and health-promoting qualities of public space and the sustainable development of any housing project. They can also be used as justification tools to explain the design decisions to inhabitants, decisionmakers, and local authorities. They are based on long-term research and field studies followed by theory triangulation (Trojanowska, 2021a(Trojanowska, , 2021b.
For this study, the researcher used two universal patterns simultaneously.
1. The universal standard for health-promoting places (Appendix A) can be used as an audit tool to determine the potential health-promoting qualities of urban places (Trojanowska, 2021a).
2. The universal standard for sustainable econeighborhoods (Appendix B) can be used as an audit tool to determine the potential health promotion qualities of neighborhoods and residential projects (Trojanowska, 2018).
The first tool evaluates the therapeutic qualities of public open green space-public park and walkability of pathways leading to open green space. The second one assesses the basic sustainability standards and lifestyle quality. The project is still under development, but it was assumed a good moment for the assessment to justify future design decisions.
One researcher visited the housing project several times over four years-2018-2021 and assessed the entire new neighborhood, treated as a large-scale public park of the new generation with buildings and roads inside. The presence of fences and gated communities were perceived as the major obstacle at this assessment phase.

RESULTS OF ASSESSMENT WITH THE UNIVERSAL STANDARD FOR HEALTH-PROMOTING PLACES AND SUSTAINABLE ECO-NEIGHBORHOOD DESIGN
Both a thick binary and a detailed assessment were performed when applicable.
The thick binary assessment has two categories (0, 1): No, not observed-0, Yes, satisfactory-1, Data NA stands for data not available.
There are some criteria where the points count is not applicable.
The results of both rough and detailed assessments were put in Table 1 and Table 2.
The assessment of therapeutic qualities determined the following strong points of the park: natural scenic beauty, associated with opportunities for physical and mental regeneration in the forest and landscaped gardens, and protecting biodiversity and wildlife. These points are crucial and responsible for this neighborhood's popularity among users. The polluted surface waters, especially the Kacza river, need urgent remediation.
On the other hand, the assessment helped to determine opportunities for improvement: lack of comfortable seating along the walkways for the elderly and disabled (with backrests and armrests), limited places with recreational equipment for various age groups of children and adults, neither community gardens nor edible plants, and no garden pavilions to provide shelter. Other points for possible improvement included: drinking fountains, better pronounced focal points and pockets of activities, and equipment to facilitate meetings and gatherings, e.g., an open-air theatre.
The organization of space and functions was assessed as highly satisfactory. However, there is a place for improvement of urban composition. The structure could be more orderly organized, and focal points could be more pronounced. Another suggestion is to plant more edible plants.
There are numerous opportunities for improvement in the placemaking category, e.g., organization of temporary events, installation of exhibitions, and community gardens.
The new neighborhood scored almost all the points when it comes to sustainable development.
The results of the detailed evaluation of access to the park demonstrated some deficiencies. The researcher evaluated nine streets and observed some sidewalks and drainage weaknesses on Dulina, Staniszewskiego, Bryły, Sokoła, and Wiczlińska street. What was noted was the lack of seating along all of the roads leading to the park, which could hinder the frequency of park visits, especially among the elderly. Street greenery could also be improved, and rain gardens installed.
The assessment for sustainable eco-neighborhood design was performed for the entire new neighborhood. Both a thick binary and a detailed evaluation were conducted when applicable. The thick binary assessment has three categories (0, ½, 1): No, not observed-0, Yes, satisfactory-1, Partially-½, Data NA stands for data not available.
There are some criteria where the points count is not applicable. The results of both rough and detailed assessments are presented in Table 3.

DISCUSSION
The project is still under construction, but some points to consider: the space next to the new buildings was wellmaintained and inviting. There are some benches as well as playgrounds for children. The space in between the development-resembles natural meadows. Open green space can be perceived as a park of the new generation. However, there are public spaces with no visible human maintenance. The significant drawbacks are lack of seating, lighting, and sometimes even pedestrian paths. They should be installed to increase the user's comfort. Another question is the scale of the neighborhood. There is only one sports field for such a large-scale project. There should be multiples installed in various open green areas-close to the apartment buildings (Gerlach-Springs et al., 1998;Barnes, 1995, 1999;Trojanowska, 2017Trojanowska, , 2018Trojanowska, , 2019Trojanowska, , 2020Trojanowska and Sas-Bojarska, 2018;Wilkonson & Marmot, 2003). One of the significant drawbacks is the fencing which separates public spaces. Gated communities hinder the possibilities of strolls and communication of people from various parts of this residential project (CABE, 2010).
The primary question about health-promoting places is the quality of living for the first pioneering inhabitants. The public park should be developed first. It should be a priority over the development of apartment blocks. The detailed evaluation of access to the park demonstrated some deficiencies. Nine streets were evaluated, and some sidewalks and drainage deficiencies were observed: Dulina, Staniszewskiego, Bryły, Sokoła, and Wiczlińska street. What was noted was the lack of seating along the roads leading to the park, which could hinder the frequency of park visits, especially among the elderly (CABE, 2010;Corburn, 2009). Street greenery and rain gardens installation could also be improved.
The project included the development of agricultural land in a controlled manner. There is no place for growth in Gdynia. The city is located between the hills covered by scenic parks and shorelines. Therefore, behind the forested hills, the terrain to the west was chosen for development. The significant advantages are the scenic beauty of this place and the environmental qualities of the natural landscape (Bell, 2012).
The drawbacks are typical for new neighborhoods: homogeneity of housing blocks, lack of commercial offers to cater to everyday needs, and no local workplaces (CABE, 2010). The dwellers have to commute to their workplaces, adding traffic and wasting much time traveling. Gradually, the functional diversity is growing, as new nurseries, kindergartens, and public facilities are being constructed in the neighborhood. It would be useful to construct public toilets next to places with recreational infrastructure, playgrounds, sport fields, etc.

Drinking water 0
It would be useful to install drinking fountains along the fountains and next to places with recreational infrastructure, playgrounds, sport fields, etc.

CONCLUSIONS
The universal standards are ready-to-use tools for the designers, developers, and the general public. They can be used to assess the therapeutic and health-promoting qualities of public space and the sustainable development of any housing project. The multicriteria assessment standards can also be used as justification tools to explain the design decisions to inhabitants, decision-makers, and local authorities. The individual assessment of the Gdynia-Zachód housing project demonstrated the vital points that should be developed and revealed some weak points that might be improved.

Funding:
No external funding is received for this article.
Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable.
Availability of data and materials: All data generated or analyzed during this study are available for sharing when appropriate request is directed to corresponding author.