The Landscape of the Spa Parks Creation through Components Influencing Environmental Perception Using Multi-Criteria Analysis

Abstract

The improvement of the landscape of spa parks should result from the planned directions of development and the most important tasks of the spatial policy of spa towns. Their proper management significantly impacts the region’s economic growth: the labour market, the size and type of new financial investments, and the natural environment. The basis of activity in the areas of spa parks is the balancing of elements of the natural, cultural and historical background. Parks are health protection zones, health ecosystems—separated from the spa zone to protect healing and environmental values. These areas should be characterized by rational landscaping. The spatial layout of park areas should consider the appropriate zones (healing, silence, recreation). The leading element that allows separating sub-areas in parks is the layout of alleys and greenery. The attractiveness of parks is also influenced by factors related to spa activities. The article aims to indicate the main criteria affecting the perception of the landscape of spa parks. Their meaning was determined by information entropy. A selection of criteria defining the landscape assessment and influencing the perception of spa greenery, which helped determine how to shape and develop the spa park, was presented. Data obtained from actual field measurements on factors influencing the reception and perception of spa parks were considered. The multi-criteria method of comparative analysis allows one to quickly and transparently determine the hierarchy of the most advantageous variables from the adopted criteria. The study confirmed that the smaller the sum of adverse elements affecting the shaping of the park spatial, the better residents’ and patients’ perception of the park.

Identification of land system transformations in the Rzeszów city square

“…Analyzes of this type are of great importance for the broadly understood construction industry, e.g. modeling of erosion processes [44,45], transport [46], landslide processes [47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55], as well as assessment of the impact of the construction industry and the building materials industry on the natural environment in terms of sustainable development [56,57].…”