Urban and Rural Public Spaces: Development Issues and Qualitative Assessment

Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series, No. 45 (2019): 75–93 http://doi.org/10.2478/bog-2019-0025 BULLETIN OF GEOGRAPHY. SOCIO–ECONOMIC SERIES journal homepages: https://content.sciendo.com/view/journals/bog/bog-overview.xml ISSN 1732–4254 quarterly http://apcz.umk.pl/czasopisma/index.php/BGSS/index Urban and Rural Public Spaces: Development Issues and Qualitative Assessment Michał Micek1, CDFMR, Sylwia Staszewska2, CDFMR Adam Mickiewicz University, 1e-mail: [email protected] (corresponding author), 2e-mail: [email protected] How to cite: Micek M. and Staszewska S. (2019). Urban and Rural Public Spaces: Development Issues and Qualitative Assessment. Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series, 45(45): 75-93. DOI: http://doi.org/10.2478/bog-2019-0025 Abstract. This paper presents selected issues related to the observation, assessment Article details: and development of urban and rural public spaces. Therefore, its initial part fo- Received: 27 March 2019 cuses on the specific nature of these spaces, and in particular on their functions Revised: 12 May 2019 and on problems in their development. It also describes features of urban and ru- Accepted: 6 June 2019 ral public spaces, which will be a prelude to the issue of qualitative assessment of the subject at hand. The method applied here can be used for the analysis of each urban space selected, thus strengthening the practical nature of this study. While Key words: over 80 public spaces have been analysed, the paper itself focuses only on the case Public spaces, studies that demonstrate the specific nature of the analysis that was carried out. development issues, The analysis process as a whole is only referred to in the summary. qualitative assessment Contents: 1. Introduction . 76 2. Public space: definition and development issues ........................................... 76 3. Urban public spaces: meaning and development .......................................... 78 4. Rural public spaces: issues and good practices in spatial planning ........................... 79 5. Qualitative assessment of public spaces with respect to their social and spatial nature.......... 81 6. Analysis and assessment of urban and rural public spaces: examples ......................... 83 7. Evaluation of the applied method and the specific nature of urban and rural public spaces: conclusions ........................................................................... 87 Notes ................................................................................... 88 References ............................................................................... 90 © 2019 (Michał Micek and Sylwia Staszewska) This is an open access article licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommer- cial-NoDerivs License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). 76 Michał Micek, Sylwia Staszewska / Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series / 45 (2019): 75–93 1. Introduction 2. Public space: definition and development issues Public spaces are of great importance both in people’s lives and in the development of society. In order A public space is: any area that is available to any- to better understand their functions, it is necessary one and free; any physical area in which any human to focus on how people build their social relation- being may find themselves; any area of particular ships. There are three types of bonds that each hu- significance for the fulfilment of the needs of its man being establishes in the course of their life. The residents and for the improvement of their quality first is the family bond, which accompanies human of life; and any area favourable to establishing so- beings from the beginning and helps them to devel- cial contacts due to its location and both function- op properly and become autonomous members of al and spatial characteristics (Ustawa o planowaniu society. Secondly, there are bonds that human be- i zagospodarowaniu przestrzennym). Types of pub- ings form when staying in places where they meet lic spaces are as follows: representative spaces (most other people with whom they spend free time. And often a square built as a symbol of the prevailing lastly, there are bonds which are the highest in the social relations, in a developed monumental and ge- hierarchy and which are created through participa- ometrical form, usually associated with objects of tion in various social groups. For all those bonds to particular significance), traffic spaces (streets, sepa- exist, a place for their development must be created. rate vehicle and pedestrian traffic areas), commer- Public spaces are just those areas in which such re- cial spaces (used for commercial purposes, bazaars), lationships can be formed and developed. ordinary spaces (intended for use, and with vari- Nowadays, the needs of urban residents differ ous functions, including mostly a residential one), from those of rural residents. Therefore, it is neces- church spaces (stemming from medieval traditions sary to create public spaces that will play different of cathedral squares, related to religious ceremo- roles in urban and rural areas. The sheer number nies), green spaces (recreational function, com- of functions performed by urban and rural public bined with parkland), recreational spaces – squares spaces also varies, depending on their sizes and na- (leisure-related purposes, often within a residential ture as expressed through the lifestyles of their us- zone) and town marketplaces (important urban ar- ers. eas created when a town was built or even earlier; The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the is- in widely differing forms) (Gorlach, 2004). sues concerning the development of public spaces Public spaces have been undergoing changes. in urban and rural areas. Readers will find here a While they still form the most durable elements of method for assessing these areas in terms of their urban/rural infrastructure, their evolution has be- quality, which enables their functionality, practical- come more and more noticeable. As a result, the ity, reliability, durability, safety, legibility, aesthetics following transformations have occurred: blurring and sensitivity to be determined. These determi- of boundaries, fragmentation of infrastructure, and nants of qualitative assessment can be used to ana- proliferation or replacement of development ele- lyse any social space, which reinforces the practical ments or land consolidation (Jastrząb, 2002). In nature of this paper. The qualitative assessment is many cases, traditional local values clash with val- presented through the case studies that show differ- ues brought from the outside by technological pro- ences in the development of urban and rural pub- gress, fashion or similar factors. Instead of being a lic spaces. The case studies analysed come from space for meetings, conversations and interactions the Wielkopolskie Province and represent the re- between various age groups, public spaces some- sults of implementation studies carried out in the times become centres of services, commerce or con- framework of social and economic cooperation be- tinuous traffic, or areas that have an adverse impact tween the Adam Mickiewicz University and both on local society. Obviously, although the infrastruc- the City Office in Poznań and the Commune Dis- ture and the use of the areas concerned vary, the trict in Krobia. spaces analysed perform defined social and techni- cal functions. Michał Micek, Sylwia Staszewska / Bulletin of Geography. Socio-economic Series / 45 (2019): 75–93 77 The design (development) of public spaces counters outside the virtual world (Grunskis, Man- should be tailored to their users. A public space kus, 2013). should stimulate the strengthening of human in- The aforementioned characteristics of urban and teractions and the creation of social relations, and rural public spaces invite a reflection on issues relat- also provide people with a reason or incentive to ed to their development. The trends in development frequent it, and it should ensure the undisturbed of the spaces analysed are as follows: movement of people. Public spaces should also be • Owing to expansion and renovations, develop- the jewel of a city/village and should highlight its ment of public spaces is not continuous or fully values (both historical and cultural). A well-de- compact, and is subject to internal fragmenta- signed public space should attract people, stimulate tion (Sagan, 2002; Zathey, 2002); initiatives and trade, foster a sense of responsibility • New service-focused functions and new ar- for the area concerned and increase the safety of its chitectural and urban forms appear; wealthier users. The elements of which a public space consists groups of people coexist with poorer ones (Lis- and their distribution, as well as their number, scale owski & Grochowski, 2007; Hamilton, 1999; St- and location are of great importance. Public spac- anilov, 2007); es are functional when they can meet the needs for • Urbanisation intensifies construction projects relaxation, shelter, movement and on-site activity, as (Rydz, 2010); well as any necessary or optional action. • A public space is now an area characterised According to many authors, in 21st-century Cen- by various levels of evolution and by densi- tral Europe public spaces have been experiencing a ty of architectural forms, shapes and functions crisis (Madanipour, 2004; Sennett, 2003; Buivydas, (Czarnecki, 2009); Samalavičius, 2011; Kratochvíl, 2013; Kristiánová, • Public spaces

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