The recreational potential for wastelands as well as users’ preferences for wasteland aesthetics. Case study of Warsaw, Poland

Abstract

Abstract. Urban wastelands may often be perceived as dysfunctional and unattractive, however they always seem to have environmental and sociological values, which encourage people to act spontaneously in their use. Undeveloped areas are important places in the structure of inhabiting landscape as a substitute for "natural" landscape. Therefore, the aim of the paper is to describe residents' aesthetical preferences for urban wasteland according to the image (type of scenery) and function of this kind of urban greenery. The survey was carried out on 13 selected case studies of brownfields, neglected greenery and undeveloped areas in Warsaw. The users' aesthetical preferences as well as the behaviour of residents, which have been treated as a neighbourhood greenery, were examined and compared. A basis of the comparison was differences in the image of the visiting landscape, perceived as different types of scenery. The methods used included Visitor Employed Photography and territorial markers and a physical traces inventory. The results show the various recreational uses, thus the great potential of wasteland green areas. It also confirms the growing acceptability of free vegetation aesthetics, while also presenting differences in the choice of a particular scenery by different groups of users.

Green Infrastructure in the Time of Social Distancing: Urban Policy and the Tactical Pandemic Urbanism

“…A growing body of research shows a scientific consensus on the importance of parks and urban greenery for health and well-being [73][74][75][76][77]. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic underlined the importance of informal, semi-natural spaces in the city and their ecological services provisioning [78][79][80][81][82][83]. Informal green space (overgrown brownfields, 'wild' riverbanks, road reserves etc.)…”

Thinking Deep. Acting on Top. Underground Built Heritage and Its Fringe as a Community Catalyst for Local Sustainable Development: Exploratory Cases from Poland and Greece

“…Discussing fortifications in Warsaw, over the years, these sites took the function of recreational spaces often surrounded by residential estates. However, due to the lack of funds, many of them became "urban wastelands" [92]. Besides their important role in providing ecosystem services, they are a magnet for bottom-up activities [93].…”

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“…Pytani o preferowane formy zieleni mieszkańcy wskazują jedne i drugie jako istotne. Pierwsze służą realizacji potrzeby terytorialności, drugie codziennej rekreacji -spacerom z psem, joggingowi, wycieczkom rowerowym (Gawryszewska, Ciszewska, Łepkowski, Nejman i Wilczyńska, 2018). Warta zauważenia jest również zmiana preferencji estetyki zieleni.…”

“…Przewiduje się jednak, że w początkowym okresie, zanim mieszkańcy przejmą odpowiedzialność za przestrzeń wokół budynku i założą ogrody, zainicjowanie nasadzeń w miejscach nieobjętych EKOSPOTem będzie konieczne. I tu autorzy oparli się na ustaleniach dotyczących zmiany preferencji estetycznych mieszkańców Warszawy w zakresie zieleni (Gawryszewska i in., 2018). W tekście standardu znalazł się bowiem zapis wskazujący na akceptację estetyki swobodnej wegetacji w zagospodarowaniu "zielonej" części inwestycji: "Zieleń urządzona poza EKOSPOTem powinna budować różnorodność biologiczną obszaru.…”