Project Leader: Prof. Maria Lewicka
A wooden Highlander cabin next to a modernist glass-and-concrete building? A spectacular skyscraper in a historic district? Or a charming medieval castle in the middle of a nature park? And why shouldn’t I paint my balcony blue — after all, it’s my balcony!
In this project, we aim to study the aesthetics of our cities from the perspective of multiple disciplines, including psychology, philosophy, geography, visual arts, and architecture. The striking examples mentioned above are far from unusual. Walking through many Polish cities often leaves an unsettling impression of chaos and ugliness — mismatched architectural styles, walls covered with pseudo-graffiti, façades painted in odd colors, advertising billboards obscuring architectural details, patchwork housing developments, and more. While these issues frequently spark comments, they rarely become the subject of systematic empirical study.
Our project plans to subject urban aesthetics to empirical investigation. We will compare residents’ aesthetic evaluations in Toruń with aesthetic criteria developed across disciplines such as environmental aesthetics, philosophical aesthetics, art theory, architecture, and urban studies. Although the topic is broad and relevant to many Polish cities, we will focus on Toruń, a city we know best and which is particularly suitable for this type of research. Toruń is compact and walkable, and as a historic city with UNESCO recognition, it should take special care of its appearance. Unfortunately, poorly conceived projects in previous decades have caused Toruń to lose much of its genius loci. Considering ongoing pressure for modernization and development, a professional assessment of the city’s aesthetics is urgently needed — especially to identify areas that require protection or improvement. Equally important is working with residents, since many ill-considered interventions occur with their consent or indifference.
Our project will consist of four main components:
- Diagnosis of Urban Aesthetics — covering the entire area of Toruń using tools derived from established theories in environmental and philosophical aesthetics. Conservation specialists will identify locations that require protection.
- Collecting Public Evaluations — residents’ opinions will be gathered via an online survey using a representative sample, on-site interviews, and walking tours in selected areas. These subjective assessments will be compared with expert evaluations of the same locations. Modern technologies will be employed to collect evaluations in natural environments and study physiological responses in laboratory settings. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) will be used to gather and present data.
- Urban Interventions and Their Evaluation — conducted both on-site and in virtual environments. Interventions may include artistic elements, such as murals.
- Education — presenting virtual city models redesigned according to environmental aesthetic principles and comparing them with the current urban landscape. Educational activities will also include on-site initiatives, such as informational street billboards or artistic performances.
We plan to collaborate with municipal departments, including the city architect, city artist, and members of the Revitalization Committee. In this way, the project will not only contribute to the theoretical development of environmental aesthetics but also provide practical applications that can support urban management.