Rapid urban growth can exert negative effects on the natural environment due to the loss of naturally vegetated areas, loss of biological diversity, deforestation and soil erosion. The condition of cities is inherently linked with the natural environment which has a positive influence on health, social relations, human welfare and economic activity. Urban areas should abound in green spaces, and should also be easily accessible to the general public. The aim of this study was to determine the spatial distribution, influence and quality of urban green spaces on the example of the city of Tczew in northern Poland. The proposed methodology can be applied in cities of a similar size and urban structure to promote rational management of urban green space in line with the principles of sustainable development and spatial order. The Green-Space Record, a useful tool for inventorying urban green spaces, was developed to pursue the main research goal. The information accumulated in the Record constitutes valuable input data for further analysis, including the determination of the area, distribution, influence and quality of urban green spaces. The results of the analysis revealed that urban green spaces occupy more than 19% of Tczew’s territory, which is equivalent to 70.6 m2 per resident. Managed green spaces span the area of only 66.75 ha (11.31 m2 per resident) and are unevenly distributed in the city. More than half of these areas are found in the Stare Miasto (Old Town) district, whereas two residential districts (Gdańska, Prątnica) are completely devoid of public greens. The quality of urban green spaces is generally satisfactory in Tczew; however, not all residents have equal access to high-quality public greens.

Motives: Urban green spaces have many functions in cities. They are used for recreational purposes, and they contribute to improving social interactions and community cohesiveness. For this reason, the location and area of urban green spaces should correspond to the size of the city and its population. Aim: The main aim of this study was to analyze the accessibility of managed and publicly available urban green spaces, referred to as public urban green spaces (PUGS), in four functional and spatial zones in the city of Białystok. The analysis included parks, green squares (pocket parks, ornamental green squares, boulevards) and public forests. The accessibility of PUGS was determined in view of their size and role in the urban spatial structure. Spatial data were processed in GIS and quantitative analyses. Results: The study demonstrated that the area of PUGS per capita meets the requirements of the World Health Organization (WHO), but the area of parks and green squares should be increased. The accessibility buffers of public green spaces often overlapped, in particular in downtown Białystok (Central zone) which is most abundant in these green infrastructure components. The analysis also revealed locations that do not have access to urban green spaces. The results of the study were used to formulate guidelines for incorporating new green spaces in Białystok and improving the urban spatial structure.

Due to the specific characteristics of cities, such as the intensity of the use of space, the supply of green areas is limited. These areas are subjected to constant pressure (demand for new transportation or construction functions), which usually results in their reduction. As a consequence of this, green areas have become a limited asset in urban environments. City dwellers, seeking a high quality of life in the urban environment, pay attention to the proximity of greenery to their place of residence. This is, therefore, a factor that greatly influences market prices of residential real estate. In the study, the dependency of transaction prices of residential premises on the vicinity of urban greenery was subjected to analysis. Additionally, questionnaire studies were conducted with respect to the evaluation of the significance of environmental factors when choosing a place to live, which translates over to the decisions made by consumers on the real estate market.

The objective of this study was to propose a method for evaluating the peripherality of rural settlement units based on the principles of spatial order and sustainable development. Detailed goals involved the determination of evaluation indicators, a scoring system and evaluation principles based on the results of a questionnaire survey. The proposed method was verified on the example of three survey sites.

The paper discusses rural transformations resulting from urban influences. The analyzed area consists of rural municipalities (the smallest administrative units in Poland) in the immediate vicinity of Olsztyn, Elblag and Ełk – the largest cities in Warmia and Mazury. The type and rate of social and spatial changes in rural areas with high urban impact were analyzed. The following issues have been addressed: – a comparison between demographic changes in rural municipalities neighboring on urban centres and demographic changes in the city, – changes in the land use structure of rural municipalities neighboring on urban centers, with particular emphasis on open and protected spaces, – architectural changes in the analyzed suburban areas, – landscape changes in the analyzed suburban areas.