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Social Cooperative – “Communal Service” social cooperative as a part of Local Revitalisation Program

“Communal Services” was chosen as one out of four case studies carried in Poland as an example of a broadly defined process of revitalisation of local resources – combining technical activities (renovation, modernization and revalorisation) with social and economic activities – revitalization meets the social economy here.

Issues of spatial justice are encountered here, first, at the regional level – meaning the conditioning and the specificity of the locality. This area is affected by the socio-economic problems, a “crisis” area, which is under the influence of development of the urban agglomeration of Lodz, all this having definite implications also for the local urban space. Yet, this concerns also the local level – that is, the spatial differentiation of the areas of the objective and subjective injustice. The town of Brzeziny features, as well, important social deficits, which call for effective solutions in terms of social policy.

Among the most significant qualities, associated with the existence of the Social Cooperative, one should mention: 1) the social aspect: assistance and support, ex-tended to the socially excluded persons, and the “mending of biographies” of individuals, and consequently – of their families – attempting to bring these persons back to the society; 2) the economic aspect – the Cooperative provides a number of indispensable services to the town, the town being also its main commissioning entity, which leads to the so-called “closed flow of money”; 3) the spatial aspect – the activities of the Cooperative have an obvious spatial dimension (the point-wise “interventions” and the zones of impact). The changes, appearing in space, are translated into the new perception and assessment of the respective places by their immediate users – the residents of the town.

For more information on this Case Study, please contact: Marcin Wójcik – University of Lodz (marcin.wojcik@geo.uni.lodz.pl)

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