Tendencies in Green Surface Design in Contemporary Remodels of Market Squares: The Example of Lesser Poland

This paper presents the results of a study on manners of green area design, with green areas understood as areas with biologically vital surfaces, in the context of contemporary remodelling of historical market squares. This study approaches this problem comprehensively with the example of Lesser Poland—a region in southern Poland. The presented detailed analysis covers cities and towns where a major town or city square was remodelled in the period between 2009 and 2024. The findings of this study of these spaces’ development—both before and after the completion of their respective remodelling projects—have been presented as comparative diagrams. Based on this, essential quantitative parameters linked to green area surface area and the biologically vital area to square ratio were calculated for the pre- and post-remodel stages. Interpreting the findings enabled the identification of the quantitative changes that occurred during the remodelling of each square, and thus outlining of the general tendencies in the design of greenery in these spaces. Research shows that the process of redevelopment of urban markets most often results in a reduction in green space, regardless of its initial condition. In some cases, this phenomenon becomes radical, leading to the almost complete elimination of green spaces from the market square. We compared our findings with those of other studies on the remodelling and redevelopment of the city centres of Polish cities and referred to the literature on diagnosing the phenomenon dubbed as ‘concretosis’ (betonoza in Polish). We also discussed this tendency in the context of the revitalisation of city centres and the programming of functions that city market squares feature after remodelling, as well as the specificities of Polish law in terms of requirements in the planning and design of public spaces. This study’s subject matter also references the general tendencies in planning downtown public spaces that are often historic and which are highly distinct and attractive places in numerous cities and towns around the world.