Use of the participatory budget in the process of creating urban recreational space : on the example of Szczecin

Modern and competitive cities must offer their residents the highest possible quality of living, which is directly related to the character and quality of urban space, especially space of recreation. What hence becomes of key importance is the shaping of urban space which is attractive to the residents, as the future of urban areas depends mostly on the capacity of every city to maintain high attractiveness as a spot of widely understood consumption. One of the ways of improving life quality in cities is to create attractive and accessible recreational space which, while creating a friendly environment for leisure time activities, may impede the process of urban sprawl. In Poland next to activities carried out to that aim by local governments, in recent years there have been investments realized within Participatory Budgets which allow for the residents’ participation in that process. Shaping recreational space in this case has a local dimension (both in the understanding of one’s own district and the whole city – Szczecin in this case), and over the years a methodical approach of the residents may be seen in terms of choosing projects that are long-term (e.g. city bike) and create modern recreational space that fits the residents’ needs.