Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta for the Outstanding Urban Planner and Gdańsk Tech Graduate

The Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta is a recognition of the outstanding merits of PhD Eng. Arch. Barbara Bańkowska for the development of urban planning, her social and professional activities, and her contribution to the development of Polish planning thought. The decoration was presented by Waldemar Szulc, advisor to the President of the Republic of Poland.

On behalf of the authorities of Gdańsk Tech, congratulations to PhD Eng. Arch. Barbara Bańkowska were extended by Prof. Dariusz Mikielewicz, Vice-Rector for Science at Gdańsk Tech. The laudation during the ceremony was given by Tomasz Majda, President of the Polish Urban Planners Association. The event was attended by representatives of state and local government authorities, the academic community, professional organizations, and members of the Polish Urban Planners Association from various regions of the country. The event was hosted by Weronika Mazurkiewicz, President of the Gdańsk Branch of the Polish Urban Planners Association.

Gdańsk Tech Graduate, an Authority in the Urban Planning Community

The ceremony held special significance for the community of Gdańsk Tech. Barbara Bańkowska studied at the Faculty of Architecture at Gdańsk Tech from 1951 to 1957, and in 2005 she defended her doctoral dissertation entitled "Structural Processes in Urbanized Areas" at the university, prepared under the supervision of Prof. Tomasz Parteka. She received the first-degree award from the Minister of Construction for her doctoral thesis.

Her achievements cover the most important areas of urban planning, from city and regional planning to research on spatial structure and sustainable development. She is the author or chief designer of approximately 200 project and project-research studies, 15 competition works in urban planning and architecture, and about 100 scientific and popular science publications. She authored the books "Urban Planning and Me" and "From Polis to Metropolis," and also co-authored the publication "One Hundred Years of the Space of Polish Cities 1910–2010."

For decades, she participated in works that influenced the development of Polish cities and regions. She worked on general city plans, directed the Municipal Urban Planning Office in Koszalin, and later was the chief designer of the Bydgoszcz-Toruń agglomeration. The results of her research on this agglomeration were presented in 1978 at the Centre Pompidou in Paris as the only Polish female architect working on macro-regional scale planning.

After returning to Gdańsk, she worked on issues related to the spatial development of the Gdańsk agglomeration and region. Her activities included eco-development, coastal areas, urban waterfronts, and the activation of the Vistula Lagoon Ecological Region. For many years, she also shared her knowledge as an academic teacher, educating successive generations of urban planners.

Urban Planning as Care for Shared Space

The event held in the Senate Hall of Gdańsk Tech was not only an honor to the achievements of Barbara Bańkowska but also an opportunity to emphasize the importance of urban planning in the development of cities and the quality of life of their residents. Her work demonstrates that spatial planning is a form of responsibility for the common good, combining technical knowledge, social experience, and sensitivity to the needs of future generations.

After the official part, membership cards were presented to new members of the Polish Urban Planners Association. An expert seminar titled "Integrated Investment Plans, Experiences, Challenges and Perspectives" was also held, dedicated to current challenges in spatial planning.