This paper presents research on the conversion of the abandoned Kanfanar–Rovinj railway into a bicycle–pedestrian path, with the aim of including it in the existing network of bicycle–pedestrian paths in the Istria County in Croatia. This would enable better connection of the repurposed railway corridor with the surrounding natural and cultural values and better use of the spatial potential, which would create more favorable conditions for the revitalization of the wider rural environment. In order to identify the existing potential of the area, as well as the impact of the proposed intervention on critical areas, a method of multicriteria analysis was used. The result of the analysis was a model of the suitability of the space, i.e., five value categories that make the space more or less suitable for accommodating new pedestrian and bicycle paths. In order to emphasize the importance of individual spatial contents in the modeling process, the method of weighted linear combination was used. Finally, the nature of the project and its potential impact on the environment have conditioned the selection of the appropriate aspect of the model and of the space’s suitability, which is further used for locating the new pedestrian and bicycle paths.

Research has been motivated by a wide range of concepts of the term urban green infrastructure. As the aim was to indicate a clear basis for the term, an investigation of its development was a necessity, not only in the European, but also in a broader context. Although green infrastructure is included in the 21st century policies of protection and development of EU landscapes, its foundations can be traced back to the models of ideal Renaissance towns and urbanist concepts mainly from the 19th and 20th century. In these historical periods used concepts meant urban landscapes as systems, a part of the environment, as seen in green corridors, green belts, green wedges, green networks and through the perception of urban green systems. As a modern concept the urban green infrastructure has been upgraded with developed roles, extending functions, scopes and scales from previous historical models. In that sense it maintains its social role of improving the quality of life in towns, while at the same time defining town texture with its urban morphological significance. At the same time it also develops ecological values and extends its scale to nonurban local, regional and international contexts. Despite its benefits, spatial planning documents in the Republic of Croatia still lack measures and actions which would recognise the true benefit of green infrastructure in spatial development.

The paper is based on a review of the established principles for evaluating the natural qualities of landscapes and developing procedures that can contribute to current methods, upgraded with indicators derived from the perception and attitudes of the public. They were implemented into an integrated model of natural landscape qualities. The method included modeling of the natural landscape qualities for the southern part of the Krka National Park in Croatia. The first evaluation model was based on a survey whose responses were processed and classified using the AHP method and GIS. The results showed that the respondents recognize the diversity of land cover and relief forms and the degree of their fragmentation as the highest natural landscape quality. The second step included overlapping the vulnerability model of natural landscape qualities and the model of perception of natural qualities. It was found that the implementation of perceived natural qualities in the evaluation process affects the model of vulnerability of landscape quality. It also indicates the possibility of implementing the perceived natural qualities of certain landscape types into the complete landscape evaluation process, which encompasses all values in the space, including human perception. Therefore, the whole procedure pointed out the importance of the implementation of perceived values into landscape evaluation, something which is also emphasized by the European Landscape Convention (ELC).

Principi ekološkog planiranja i projektiranja gradskih krajobraza su mnogobrojni. Ipak, oni nisu sistematizirani i sustavno provođeni u praksi uređenja gradskih krajobraza. Iz tog razloga, konvencionalni pristupi planiranju i oblikovanju gradskih krajobraza mogu biti izrazito mnogo ili vrlo malo oslonjeni na principe ekološkog oblikovanja. Samim time, korišteni su nesistematično, parcijalno i stihijski, ili se uopće ne primjenjuju u domaćim praksama. U radu je predstavljen sistematičan prikaz krajobraznih principa primjenjivih u uređenju urbanih sredina koji mogu pridonijeti ekološkoj održivosti gradova. Oni su kategorizirani i opisani, a njihova je selekcija bazirana na referentnim primjerima i radovima u području krajobrazne ekologije i krajobrazne arhitekture. Krajnji rezultat rada je izrada "check-liste" primjenjive za analizu projekta krajobrazne arhitekture i uređenja gradskih krajobraza prema kriteriju ekološke održivosti.

This paper aims to present an approach to landscape evaluation, on the example of the island of Jakljan, which is a part of the Elaphiti Islands in the Dubrovnik Neretva County. Special emphasis is placed on the evaluation of natural, cultural, and visual qualities, which were identified in order to direct their protection in future development processes taking into account their role in the landscape. After determining the main qualities, the submodels of individual landscape qualities were determined. Next, the relationship between landscape quality and potential quality degradation was analysed, and a database of spatial data was prepared. Natural qualities included biodiversity valuation and perception of naturalness of the most dominant landscape patterns in this area. Cultural qualities included agricultural landscape evaluation and cultural-historic heritage. Finally, based on the evaluation of the visual units and visually attractive and authentic elements of the landscape and the analysis of visual exposure, a final model of visual landscape qualities was carried out. Evaluation maps were obtained using the GIS tools. The paper pointed out the most important values which must not be lost if the existing character of the space is to be preserved.