Urban space as a commons in print media discourse in Poland after 1989

While the idea of the city as a commons had corrupted in Poland throughout the socialist period and did not recover in the wake of the systemic change, individualism appears to have become a dominating force shaping Polish cities since 1989. The aim of the paper is to unpack the concept of urban space as a commons and examine its readjustment at the beginning of the 21st century through the lens of the Polish print media. Results of the discourse analysis indicate that the term, applied to fragments of urban space varying in function and scale, has strong connotations of conflict and strife. Legacy of Poland's contemporary history appears as the most common justification for the weakness of the urban commons and despite the growing awareness of the issue, the debate on possible remedies is still at an early stage and hence inconclusive.