Warsaw like Singapore? A fanciful vision of the capital

This is not a concrete plan, but a bold concept in which Warsaw resembles Singapore. Skyscrapers with green terraces, a dense development of Plac Defilad. Is this what the Warsaw of the future could look like?

The concept was prepared by an architect wishing to remain anonymous, Jacek from Poznań, in cooperation with nowawarszawa.pl. The project is based on the development of the cross-town tunnel and the space above the current railway tracks running to the Warszawa Centralna station. The space thus freed up would become a place for new investments.

A thorough renovation of the cross-city line is inevitable. The oldest elements of the infrastructure date back to the 1920s, while the youngest date back to the 1960s. The planned work includes the renovation of Warszawa Zachodnia (the work is already at its final stage), Warszawa Ochota, Warszawa Śródmieście, Warszawa Centralna and Warszawa Wschodnia stations. New ones are to be built – Warszawa Nowy Świat and Warszawa Solec. The tunnel itself running under the city centre will be widened.

The start date for the work is not yet known, but the Ministry of Infrastructure recognises the potential of this transport lane.

This project should be fine-tuned. It is a question of its timing and functionality to achieve optimum conditions for train traffic. We also have a very valuable site in the city centre. I do not understand why its development has not been envisaged (…) we cannot waste this opportunity and not develop this area,” Piotr Malepszak, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, told the capital’s Gazeta Wyborcza in an interview published on 9 March.

The conceptual designs we are publishing here are meant to show the potential that lies in the freed up land in the city centre. The area could be covered with skyscrapers, whose architecture is reminiscent of Singaporean developments. The high-rise buildings have green terraces that would help purify the air and build a friendlier microclimate in the centre. Do you like this vision of Warsaw? We look forward to your votes in the poll below.

project: Jacek, architect from Poznań

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