•We analysed the use and accessibility of peri-urban green spaces in two, European cities.•Cross-case preference for semi-natural landscapes and high use of green corridors.•Perceptions of distance ...to travel were the main reason for infrequent visits.•Green space strategies may affect the frequency of visits to peri-urban green spaces.
Peri-urban landscape, space between the rural and urban setting, has generally been seen in planning practice as space in a transient state, likely to be developed in the future. However, research has shown that peri-urban green spaces have increasingly been used for recreational and leisure purposes by urban and rural dwellers.
This study aims to explore whether, if urban dwellers' preferred green spaces are large peri-urban semi-natural areas, they will nonetheless be used only infrequently if the accessibility of these spaces is not swift.
A questionnaire-based survey and focus groups were conducted to collect data from around 380 urban dwellers in two European cities of similar size but contrasting green space strategies, Ljubljana (green wedges strategy) and Edinburgh (green belt strategy). The results showed expected, strong cross-cultural preference for semi-natural landscapes (as opposed to formal parks and playing fields), such as woodlands, fields, waterways, etc. High appreciation and high use of green corridors was a more unexpected result. In addition, coastal landscapes appeared to be popular in Edinburgh and larger, peri-urban open spaces in Ljubljana. The frequency of visits to peri-urban spaces was considerably higher in Ljubljana, due to swift accessibility of the city's green wedges. In both cities, perceptions of distance to travel were the major barrier to frequent use of peri-urban green spaces. The findings suggest that green corridors enable enjoyable and easy access to semi-natural spaces in and around the city. This should be taken into account in future planning, as part of any wider green space strategies.
This study uses sense of place to empirically compare, in two case study cities, how people connect with the peri-urban green space which they visit most often for their leisure activities. Based on ...a literature review and identified gaps in previous research, we developed a conceptual model which explains the factors that contribute to how people form a sense of place. We hypothesize that involvement with and appreciation of peri-urban green spaces, used by urban dwellers for leisure activities, are reflected in people's sense of (peri-urban) place. Furthermore, we hypothesize that sense of place affects people's place-concerning behaviour towards peri-urban green spaces, fact which can contribute to the planning and management of peri-urban areas.
Principal components analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM) were used to test the study hypotheses using data collected from 328 inner-city dwellers in Ljubljana and Edinburgh. Results indicate positive and significant effects of place involvement and appreciation on sense of place, and positive and significant effects of sense of place on place-concerning behaviour. Findings demonstrate that understanding people's sense of place towards peri-urban green spaces is crucial for promoting place-concerning behaviour and, consequently, prioritizing effective policy responses to ensure the sustainable future of these areas.
•Place involvement and appreciation increase sense of place.•Sense of place positively and significantly influences place-concerning behaviour.•Most of individual's background variables do not influence sense of place.•Sense of place has an important role in enhancing peri-urban areas' sustainability.
The ill-defined space between urban and rural areas is typically referred to as peri-urban landscape. One key reason for this lack of clarity is the unduly broad scale of conceptual and geographical ...resolution. This article focuses on its spatial elucidation at a sub-regional scale. It describes a method for delineating peri-urban landscape, based on spatial and demographic criteria. Arguably, spatially explicitly denoted peri-urban landscape on a sub-regional level would help in choosing appropriate local and regional planning approaches and policies for its development. The method, based on an overlay analysis, was tested using datasets from regional and municipal authorities in Ljubljana and Edinburgh. The results indicate that this less ambiguous spatial definition of peri-urban landscape offers a sound basis for planning and policy development.
Za prostor med mestnimi in podeželskimi območji, ki pogosto ni jasno določen, se običajno uporablja izraz »obmestna krajina«. Eden ključnih razlogov za navedeno nejasnost je konceptualno preširoka in ...geografsko nejasna opredelitev tega prostora. Avtorica se v članku osredotoča na prostorsko določanje obmestne krajine na subregionalni ravni, pri čemer predstavi metodo, ki temelji na prostorskih in demografskih merilih. Prostorsko jasno opredeljena obmestna krajina na subregionalni ravni je lahko v pomoč pri izbiri ustreznih lokalnih in regionalnih pristopov k njenemu razvoju. Avtorica metodo, ki temelji na analizi prekrivanja podatkovnih slojev, preverja z uporabo podatkov, pridobljenih od regionalnih in občinskih uradov v Ljubljani in Edinburgu. Rezultati kažejo, da opisana manj dvoumna prostorska določitev obmestnih krajin zagotavlja boljšo podlago za prostorsko načrtovanje in oblikovanje prostorske politike.
The relationship between physical activity and green spaces has been widely researched, but less so when comparing physical activity in different environments. This study investigates the variations ...in physical activity across six environments (nature, park, urban, home, sportsground and indoor venue) and how it was influenced by lockdown governed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected from 1161 participants using an online survey conducted in spring 2021 in Slovenia. The results show that 95.5% of respondents are somewhat physically active, mostly in nature and at home. Respondents found natural shade, trees, secure access to and secure use of green spaces most important, recreational routes most encouraging, and bad smells and crowdedness most discouraging for outdoor physical activity. During the lockdown, 80% of people maintained or increased their physical activity. Regression analysis showed significant differences in preference for green space characteristics and levels of physical activity in different environments. Several sociodemographic and living environment characteristics also appeared significant. Our research findings underline the importance of considering a variety of environments when exploring preferences for physical activity. They also provide scientific evidence and justification for recommendations in planning and policy-making to encourage outdoor physical activity.
Abstract
Purpose
Peri-urban landscape is situated between the rural and the urban and encompasses diverse set of green space types, e.g. large semi-natural areas, woodlands, hills, country parks. ...Such spaces, suitable for nature recreation, can be rarely found in cities. Accordingly, peri-urban landscape is increasingly important for enabling population to become more physically active. However, previous research has shown that many cities struggle with divergences in the use of these spaces. While some of peri-urban green spaces are under high demand for outdoor recreation, which puts considerable pressure on the landscape and threatens its provisioning of landscape qualities such as tranquillity or biodiversity, others are underused despite their recognised potential for recreation. So far, little attention has been paid to this issue in planning and decision making.
This study first assessed the extent to which peri-urban landscape provides possibility for outdoor recreation. Secondly, it explored how to provide support for spatial planners and local governments in the planning and management of peri-urban green spaces for promotion of outdoor recreation.
Methods
We conducted document analysis, literature review and stakeholders’ interviews in three case study cities in Slovenia: Ljubljana, Koper and Kranj. In the first step, we highlighted any formal recognition of peri-urban landscape use for outdoor recreation and identified spatial actions and their influence on the peri-urban land use. Then we carried out the evaluation of the level of importance given to peri-urban green spaces’ suitability for outdoor recreation by the stakeholders. The data was compiled and compared between the three cities.
Results
We identified policy gaps in all case studies, which pointed to the weak role of spatial planning in protection and management of peri-urban green spaces for outdoor recreation. We also identified the lack of methodologies, tools and inclusion of new approaches, such as ecosystem services framework or nature-based solutions, in the spatial planning and policy making.
Conclusion
Our findings provide a supporting material for local decision makers and spatial planners in their efforts to develop peri-urban green spaces as spaces for promoting health among all demographic groups of local population.
Funding
Slovenian Research Agency (grant numbers V5-2232 and Z5-4589).
European Commission has obliged Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe beneficiaries to specify the dissemination and exploitation of their funded activities’ outcomes. In this way, research results can be ...extended to benefit the wider society. However, beneficiaries have difficulties meeting these goals due to the overlap between dissemination and exploitation and the uncertainty of how to translate research activities and outputs into socio-economic benefits for the society. This paper developed a framework based on the business model canvas to operationalise an approach to exploitation. The framework was tested within the EU-funded research project C3Places in the fields of urban planning and sustainable spatial development. The resulting reference framework can be used as a guideline for the design and development of research project exploitation plans. It is especially valuable for projects in the fields which usually do not have ‘sellable’ or even marketable outcomes and products but rather result in soft measures and recommendations for public policies. Accordingly, it can support the decision-making processes of both policymakers and private organisations.
S širjenjem mestnih območij v obmestne krajine postaja potreba po učinkovitem načrtovanju zelene infrastrukture čedalje pomembnejša za ohranjanje ekološke celovitosti območij in človekovega dobrega ...počutja. V članku je predstavljena matrika strokovnih ocen kot metoda vrednotenja potenciala območij, da zagotavljajo kulturne ekosistemske storitve (KES), pri načrtovanju zelene infrastrukture (ZI) v obmestni krajini. Strokovnjaki z več področij so sistematično ovrednotili različne vrste rabe zemljišč in pokrovnosti tal ter varstvene režime, značilne za obmestne krajine, in to glede na kategorije KES. Poleg potenciala za zagotavljanje kulturnih ekosistemskih storitev so ovrednotili tudi potencial za povzročanje kulturnih ekosistemskih nevšečnosti. Njihove ocene so bile združene in na tej podlagi so bile izdelane karte, na katerih so razvidna območja z visokim potencialom za zagotavljanje KES in tista, na katerih bi lahko ekosistemi povzročili nevšečnosti. Opisani pristop je bil nato uporabljen v treh študijah primera, pri tem je bila dokazana njegova učinkovitost pri določanju prednostnih območij za načrtovanje ZI in izvedbo upravljavskih posegov. Izsledki raziskave opozarjajo na pomen upoštevanja KES pri načrtovanju ZI, saj lahko to izboljša odpornost krajin, družbeno blaginjo in ohranjanje kulturne dediščine v dinamičnih obmestnih okoljih. S presojo, vrednotenjem zbranih strokovnih ocen in jasno prostorsko predstavitvi jo rezultatov za posamezno proučevano območje je bila potrjena uporabnost matrike strokovnih ocen kot uporabnega orodja za načrtovanje trajnostne ZI v krajinskem merilu.
With the encroachment of urban areas into peri-urban landscapes, the requirement for effective green infrastruc ture (GI) planning has become increasingly important for maintaining ecological ...integrity and human wellbeing. An expert-based matrix approach is proposed as a method for evaluating the potential of cultural ecosystem services (CES) in making informed GI planning decisions in a peri-urban landscape. Experts from various disciplines and areas of work were consulted to systematically evaluate various types of land-use and land-cover classes, as well as protection regimes characteristic of a peri-urban landscape across the CES categories. In addition to CES provision potential, experts also evaluated the possible potential to cause cultural ecosystem disservices. These scores are aggregated to generate spatially explicit maps that highlight areas with high CES provision potential and those with the potential to cause disservices. This approach was then applied to three case study areas, demonstrating its effectiveness in identifying priority areas for GI planning and management interventions. The results highlight the importance of integrating CES considerations into GI planning processes to enhance landscape resilience, social wellbeing, and cultural heritage preservation in dynamic peri-urban environments. Using scoring, validation exercises, and spatially explicit presentation on case studies, the utility and applicability of the expert-based matrix approach as a valuable tool for sustainable GI planning on a landscape scale is demonstrated.
This research aimed to explore information and communication technologies (ICT) types to support co-creation activities in public open spaces (POS) at different stages of the co-creation process. We ...conducted state-of-the-art research on the methods, best practices, obstacles and potential of ICT tools and co-creation activities to ease the interaction between stakeholders engaged in the process. Based on those findings, we proposed an ICT tools selection framework. Four living labs were analysed to better understand the practical side of digitally aided co-creation. We conclude by exposing challenges and suggest ways to move forward toward genuinely digitally supported co-creation of the POS.
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