The Appeal of the Ordinary? Imagining the Development of “Ordinary Cities”: The Cases of Elbląg, Koszalin, and Słupsk: Wyobrażenia rozwoju „zwyczajnych miast” na przykładzie Elbląga, Koszalina i Słupska

Abstract

The article analyzes narratives concerning the development and future of three medium-sized cities in Northern Poland — Elbląg, Koszalin, and Słupsk — taken as examples of “ordinary cities.” The starting point is an anthropological cognitive perspective aiming to bring forth diverse voices other than those of experts and planners that dominate discourses on how to understand development. The analysis is based on qualitative interviews with so-called local narrators shaping the image of the city, complemented by the use of existing materials. The study focuses on local conditions shared by the cities in question: post-war origins, location in the Western and Northern Territories, experiences of peripherality, depopulation, and the loss of voivodeship capital status. Particular attention is given to social memory and the temporality of urban imaginaries, including references to the past in visions of the future. The findings show that images of development are ambiguous and nonlinear. Alongside the distinct presence of narratives of growth, alternative ways of thinking about the future are also emerging, emphasizing continuity, constraints, and local specificity. Careful attention to these perspectives enables a better understanding of how medium-sized cities negotiate the meaning of development amid structural similarities and local particularities.

Urban voices reveal a wide range of ideas about the future and development, and are strongly linked to the debate on identity. There is a clear vision of development associated with growth, expansion, acceleration, and catching up. Alternative visions of the future and development are also coming to the fore. The main images of the future are: “development has already happened” (nostalgia for the past), “waiting for development” (in the form of external impulses), “in search of (any) idea” (hope in the distinctive features of the place), “or maybe... just stop?” (revealing deep changes in the perception of development). Images of ordinary cities “reflect” two opposing interpretations: cities lagging behind the center (mainly in the form of large cities) vs. cities attractive due to their peripheral characteristics and apparent weaknesses, which in the future may turn out to be their strength. All of them require attention and sensitivity, i.e. regarding the trap of imitation or the potentially disadvantageous interpretation of the so-called ‘gap rent’ for residents. However, they can also be an opportunity i.e. in the context of social innovation as long as they are heard and included in the discussion about the future of ordinary cities.