An analysis of urban green spaces – a case study in Poland and Slovakia

Tomasz Starczewski; Milan Douša; Ewelina Lopata

doi:10.31648/aspal.8048

Published: 2023-04-041

Vol. 22 No. 1 (2023)

An analysis of urban green spaces – a case study in Poland and Slovakia

Tomasz Starczewski , Milan Douša

, Ewelina Lopata

Acta Scientiarum Polonorum Administratio Locorum

Section: Articles

https://doi.org/10.31648/aspal.8048

Abstract

Motives: Rapid urbanisation and the associated spatial, environmental, and economic changes have shifted the researchers’ attention to modern cities. Urban green spaces are a vital component of sustainable development because they reduce noise, purify air, improve the local climate and rainwater quality, and provide numerous recreational and relaxation opportunities for the residents. The implementation of the green city concept can have a positive impact on both the environment and the quality of life in a city.

Aim: The aim of the study was to analyse changes in the landscape and surface of urban green spaces, to present the structure of green areas, and to identify change trends in urban green spaces in the Polish city of Toruń and the Slovak city of Košice. The ecological resilience of the studied areas was also examined.

Results: The results of the study indicate that the area occupied by urban green spaces (including urban green areas, sport and leisure facilities, and forests) continues to expand in the studied cities. The rate of increase was much higher, but still low, in the Slovak city of Košice. The analysis of change trends revealed that most industrial and commercial areas were developed in urban green spaces. At the same time, new green spaces were created mainly at the expense of semi-natural areas. Both Toruń and Košice are characterised by average landscape stability.

Keywords:

2030 Agenda, sustainable urban development, green city, landscape management, resilience

Most read articles by the same author(s)

Krzysztof Rogatka, Magdalena Dolińska, Tomasz Starczewski, Jadwiga Biegańska, ECOREVITALIZATION AS AN INNOVATIVE WAY OF SPACE DEVELOPMENT , Acta Scientiarum Polonorum Administratio Locorum: Vol. 17 No. 4 (2018)
Berenika Ryszkowska, Tomasz Starczewski, Justyna Chodkowska-Miszczuk, THE DEVELOPMENT OF WIND ENERGY IN THE SUBURBAN SPACE AND THE PERCEPTION OF CULTURAL LANDSCAPE , Acta Scientiarum Polonorum Administratio Locorum: Vol. 17 No. 1 (2018)

Download files

PDF

Citation rules

Starczewski, T., Douša, M., & Lopata, E. (2023). An analysis of urban green spaces – a case study in Poland and Slovakia. Acta Scientiarum Polonorum Administratio Locorum, 22(1), 85–100. https://doi.org/10.31648/aspal.8048

Cited by / Share

Licence

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

References

Act no. 114/1992 Coll., On nature and landscape protection, as amended by Statutory measures.
Google Scholar

Anguluri, R., & Narayanan, P. (2017). Role of green space in urban planning: Outlook towards smart cities. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 25, 58–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2017.04.007.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Augustyn, A. (2020). Zrównoważony rozwój miast w świecie idei smart city. Białystok: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu w Białymstoku.
Google Scholar

Act On Nature And Landscape Protection And Other Laws of 8 April, 2004. Retrieved from: https://www.global-regulation.com/translation/czechrepublic/509004/amendment-to-the-act-on-natureand-landscape-protection-and-other-laws.html (18.05.2022).
Google Scholar

Barboza, E.P., Cirach, M., Khomenko, S., Iungman, T., Mueller, N., & Barrera-Gomez, J. (2021). Green space and mortality in European cities: a health impact assessment study. The Lancet Planetary Health, 5(10), e718–e730. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(21)00229-1.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Brilhante, O., & Klaas, J. (2018). Green city concept and a method to measure green city performance over time applied to fifty cities globally: Influence of GDP, population size and energy efficiency. Sustainability, 10(6), 2031. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10062031.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Chiabai, A., Quiroga, S., Martinez-Juarez, P., Suarez, C., de Jalon, S.G., & Taylor, T. (2020). Exposure to green areas: Modelling health benefits in a context of study heterogeneity. Ecological Economics, 167, 106401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.106401.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Christaller, W. (1980). Die zentralen Orte in Süddeutschland: eine ökonomisch-geographische Untersuchung über die Gesetzmässigkeit der Verbreitung und Entwicklung der Siedlungen mit städtischen Funktionen. Jena: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft.
Google Scholar

Costanza, R. (1997). The value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital. Nature, 387(6630), 253–260.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Čepelova, A., & Douša, M. (2018). Smart cities – vychodiska ich hodnotenia. Recenzovaný zborník z medzinárodnej vedeckej konferencie organizowanej pri príležitosti 20. Výročia vzniku Fakulty verejnej správy, Univerzity Pavla Jozefa Šafarika v Košiciach. ŠafarikPress, pp. 208–218.
Google Scholar

Čepelova, A., & Douša, M. (2020). Slovakia and the Czech Republic on the path towards Sustainable Development. Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series, 47(47), 7–25.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Daniele, P., & Sciacca, D. (2021). An optimization model for the management of green areas. International Transactions in Operational Research, 28(6), 3094–3116. https://doi.org/10.1111/itor.12987.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Darkwah, R.M., & Cobbinah, P.B. (2014). Stewardship of urban greenery in an era of global urbanisation. International Journal of Environmental, Ecological, Geological and Geophysical Engineering, 8(10), 671–674. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1096905.
Google Scholar

DeFries, R., Hansen, A., Turner, B.L., Reid, R., & Liu, J. (2007). Land use change around protected areas: management to balance human needs and ecological function. Ecological Applications, 17(4), 1031–1038.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Derks, J., Giessen, L., & Winkel, G. (2020). COVID-19-induced visitor boom reveals the importance of forests as critical infrastructure. Forest Policy and Economics, 118, 102253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2020.102253.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Envirotrain. [2022]. Ecological Stability. Retrieved from: https://www.envirotrain.co.uk/module-a/a1-earthsystems/a1-1-key-definitions/a1-1-4-ecologicalstability (09.05.2022).
Google Scholar

Elsadek, M., Liu, B., & Xie, J. (2020). Window view and relaxation: Viewing green space from a high-rise estate improves urban dwellers’ wellbeing. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 55, 126846. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2020.126846.
Crossref
Google Scholar

ESPON. (2020). Policy Brief: Green infrastructure in urban areas. Retrieved from: https://www.espon.eu/sites/default/files/attachments/Policy%20Brief%20Green%20Infrastructure%20in%20Urban%20Areas.pdf (04.05.2022).
Google Scholar

European Healthy Cities Network. (2022). Environment and health for European cities in the 21st century: making a difference. Retrieved from: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/344155/9789289052900-eng.pdf?sequence=1 (16.05.2022).
Google Scholar

Gałaś, S., & Gałaś, A. (2009). Assessment of ecological stability of spatial and functional structure around Świnna Poręba water reservoir. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 18(3A), 83–87.
Google Scholar

GISPLAN of Kosice. (2022) Cadastral map of Kosice. Retrieved from: https://gisplan.kosice.sk/mapa/katastralna-mapa/?lb=osm&ly-pc= undefined&c=260273.55%3A-1239457.65&z=2&ly=pc%2Cpe%2Cknall&lbo=0.7&lyo= (16.05.2022).
Google Scholar

Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre Authority of the Slovak Republic. (2022). Individual ways of land use in the cadastre of the city Kosice. Retrieved from: https://kataster.skgeodesy.sk/eskn-portal/statistiky (10.05.2022).
Google Scholar

Głowacki, T. (2005). Projekty GIS. Administracja i użytkowanie. Wrocław: Oficyna Wydawnicza Politechniki Wrocławskiej.
Google Scholar

Gubański, J., Burdziński, J., & Gubańska, R. (2018). Przeobrażenia krajobrazu Kępy Mieszczańskiej we Wrocławiu – szanse i zagrożenia [Landscape transformations of the Kępa Mieszczańska in wrocław – chances and threats]. Acta Scientiarum Polonorum. Administratio Locorum, 17(4), 317–326. https://doi.org/10.31648/aspal.2609.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Harasimowicz, A. (2018). Green Spaces As A Part Of The City Structure. Ekonomia i Środowisko, 2(65), 45–62.
Google Scholar

Hansen, R., Rall, E., Chapman, E., Rolf, W., & Pauleit, S. (2017) Urban Green Infrastructure Planning: A Guide for Practitioners. GREEN SURGE. Retrieved from: https://www.e-pages.dk/ku/1340/html5/ (02.05.2022).
Google Scholar

Hruška, M., & Petrovič, F. (2018). Hodnotenie intensity ľudskeho vplyvu na využivanie krajiny a jej vyvoj: pripadova študia environmentalne zaťaženej obce Rudňany [Evaluation of the Intensity of Antropogenic Impact on Land Use and Its Development: A Case Study of the Enironmentally-loaded Area Rudňany]. Geografické informácie [Geographical Information], 22(2), 70–83. https://doi.org/10.17846/GI.2018.22.2.70-83.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Jirout, M., Hubacikova, W., & Toman, F. (2016). Long-term development analysis of ecological stability and land use around JEVIČKO. MendelNet, 423–428. Retrieved from: https://mendelnet.cz/pdfs/mnt/2016/01/77.pdf.
Google Scholar

Kocan, N. (2020). Create a cultural-city through landscape planning and design. International Journal of Recent Advances in Multidisciplinary Research, 07(5), 5765–5777. Retrieved from: http://www.ijramr.com/sites/default/files/issues-pdf/2940.pdf (02.05.2022).
Google Scholar

Kolejka, J. (2011). Klasifikace a typologie moravske přirodni krajiny v ukazkach na topicke a choricke urovni [Classification and typology of the Moravian natural landscape in examples at the topical and choric level]. Acta Pruhoniciana, 98, 17–29.
Google Scholar

Łachowski, W., & Łęczek, A. (2020). Tereny zielone w dużych miastach Polski. Analiza z wykorzystaniem Sentinel 2 [Green areas in large Polish cities. The analysis using Sentinel 2]. Problemy Rozwoju Miast, 68, 77–90. https://doi.org/10.51733/udi.2020.68.07.
Google Scholar

Marando, F., Heris, M.P., Zulian, G., Udias, A., Mentaschi, L., Chrysoulakis, N., & Maes, J. (2022). Urban heat island mitigation by green infrastructure in European Functional Urban Areas. Sustainable Cities and Society, 77, 103564. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2021.103564.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Meerow, S., Newell, J.P., & Stults, M. (2016). Defining urban resilience: A review. Landscape and Urban Planning, 147, 38–49. https://doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2015.11.011.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Michal, I. (1985). Ekologický generel ČSR [Ecological general of Czechoslovakia]. Text part of the study for SKVTRI Prague–Brno, Terplan, Institute of Geography of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences.
Google Scholar

Michal, I. (1994). Ekologická stabilita [Ecological stability]. Praha: Veronica.
Google Scholar

Miklos, L. (1986). Stabilita krajiny v Ekologickom genereli SR [Landscape stability in the Ecological General of the Slovak Republic]. Životne prostredie, 20(2), 87–93.
Google Scholar

Miller, J.R., & Hobbs, R.J. (2002). Conservation where people live and work. Conservation Biology, 16, 330–337.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Mortberg, U.M., Balfors, B., & Knol, W.C. (2007). Landscape ecological assessment: A tool for integrating biodiversity issues in strategic environmental assessment and planning. Journal of Environmental Management, 82(4), 457–470. https://doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2006.01.005.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Narodni siť Zdravych měst ČR [National Network of Healthy Cities CR]. (2022). Coefficient of Ecological Stability. Retrieved from: https://mozaika-ur.cz/cz/indikatory/koeficient-ekologicke-stability-kes (18.05.2022).
Google Scholar

Niemets, K., Kravchenko, K., Kandyba, Y., Kobylin, P., & Morar, C. (2021). World cities in terms of the sustainable development concept. Geography and Sustainability, 2(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geosus.2021.12.003.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Noszczyk, T., Gorzelany, J., Kukulska-Kozieł, A., & Hernik, J. (2022). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the importance of urban green spaces to the public. Land Use Policy, 113, 105925. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2021.105925.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Rogatka, K., Dolińska, M., Starczewski, T., & Biegańska, J. (2018). Ekorewitalizacja innowacyjnym sposobem zagospodaraowania przestrzeni [Ecorevitalization as an innovative way of space development]. Acta Scientiarum Polonorum. Administratio Locorum, 17(4), 401–409.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Rehačkova, T., & Pauditšova, E. (2007). Metodicky postup stanovenia koeficientu ekologickej stability krajiny. Acta Environmentalica Universitatis Comenianae, 15, 26–38. Retrieved from: https://fns.uniba.sk/fileadmin/prif/actaenvi/ActaEnvi_2007_1/03_Rehackova_Pauditsova.pdf .
Google Scholar

Siragusa, A., Vizcaino, P., Proietti, P., & Lavalle, C. (2020). SDG Voluntary Local Reviews. Publications Office of the European Union. https://doi.org/10.2760/257092.
Google Scholar

Sun, Q.C., Macleod, T., Both, A., Hurley, J., Butt, A., & Amati, M. (2021). A human-centred assessment framework to prioritise heat mitigation efforts for active travel at city scale. Science of the Total Environment, 763, 143033. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143033.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Szczepańska, A., Krzywnicka, I., & Lemański, G. (2016). Urban Greenery as a Component of Real Estate Value. Real Estate Management and Valuation, 24(4), 79–87. https://doi.org/10.1515/remav-2016-0032.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Tarnikova, M., & Muchova, Z. (2018). Land cover change and its influence on the assessment of the ecological stability. Applied Ecology and Environmental Research, 16(3), 2169–2182. http://dx.doi.org/10.15666/aeer/1603_21692182.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Trovato, M.R. (2021). An Axiology of Residual Green Urban Areas. Environments, 8(6), 53. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments8060053.
Crossref
Google Scholar

UN. (2015). Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Retrieved from: https://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/70/1&Lang=E (24.04.2022).
Google Scholar

UN. (2018). Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. The World’s Cities in 2018 – Data Booklet (ST/ESA/ SER.A/417). Retrieved from: https://www.un.org/en/events/citiesday/asset/pdf/the_worlds_cities_in_2018_data_booklet.pdf (15.09.2022).
Google Scholar

Venter, Z.S., Barton, D.N., Gundersen, V., Figari, H., & Nowell, M.S. (2021). Back to nature: Norwegians sustain increased recreational use of urban green space months after the COVID-19 outbreak. Landscape and Urban Planning, 214, 104175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2021.104175.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Virtudes, A. (2016). Benefits of Greenery in Contemporary City. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, vol. 44, no. 3. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/44/3/032020.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Vyleta, R., Valent, P., Nemetova, Z., & Hlavcova, K. (2019). An Assessment of Changes in Ecological Stability and Landscape Management Practices over the Last Centuries: A Case Study from Vrbovce, Slovakia. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering. http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/603/2/022083.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Wang, R., Helbich, M., Yao, Y., Zhang, J., Liu, P., Yuan, Y., & Liu, Y. (2019). Urban greenery and mental wellbeing in adults: Cross-sectional mediation analyses on multiple pathways across different greenery measures. Environmental Research, 176, 108535. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2019.108535.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Wu, J. (2014). Urban ecology and sustainability: The state-of-the-science and future directions. Landscape and Urban Planning, 125, 209–221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.01.018.
Crossref
Google Scholar

WCED. (1987). Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future. Retrieved from: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/5987our-common-future.pdf (15.07.2021).
Google Scholar

Yukhnovskyi, V.Yu., & Zibtseva, O.V. (2019). Estimation Of Ecological Stability Of Small Town Bucha In Kyiv Region. Ukrainian Geographical Journal, 2(106). https://doi.org/10.15407/ugz2019.02.049.
Crossref
Google Scholar

Tomasz Starczewski

t.starczewski@doktorant.umk.pl

Affiliation:

Nicolaus Copernicus University Toruń Poland

Milan Douša

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5038-3893

Affiliation:

Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice Faculty of Public Administration Slovakia

Ewelina Lopata

Affiliation:

Nicolaus Copernicus University Toruń, Doctoral School of Social Sciences Poland