A multidimensional analysis of spatial order in public spaces: a case study of the town Morąg, Poland

Abstract

Centrally located public spaces, such as old towns, are an important feature of historic towns. They are often the most characteristic and representative element of a town that brings together members of the local community, plays various sociological and social roles and promotes direct interactions between the users of space. Only high-quality public spaces can effectively fulfil their role. The aim of this study was to analyse spatial order in public spaces on the example of the Old Town district of Morąg in North-Eastern Poland. The quality of public spaces was analysed with the use of a self-designed method, a field inventory and a questionnaire survey involving 100 members of the local community who were asked to evaluate the quality of public spaces in the town. The results of the comparison were used to identify public spaces that require revitalisation. The study demonstrates that spatial order directly influences the quality of public spaces. Our findings indicate that multidimensional analyses of spatial order and opinion surveys provide valuable inputs and should be included in studies evaluating the quality of public spaces.

Spatial Chaos as a Result of War Damage and Post-War Transformations. Example of the Small Town of Węgorzewo

“…It refers to the scale of land development, in which the composition of urban space plays a key role: the adopted convention, the layout and proportions of buildings, the spatial scale of the complexes, and the technical condition and level of preservation of the existing urban tissue [33,34]. Public spaces constitute urban order determinants-their quality, resulting from their degree of attractiveness and accessibility [35]. Elements of spatial order at the urban level also include the efficiency and reliability of the technical infrastructure and the order in transport infrastructure, conditions ensuring personal and social security-taking into account the availability of social services facilities-or environmental order, including the availability of green areas [36].…”

“…Revitalization processes increasingly include blocks of flats, settlements, and post-military, post-railway, and post-industrial areas. The negative spatial phenomena observed in Polish cities and towns of this period include the urban landscape being littered with multi-colored advertisements, often in a large format, a decrease in the level of spatial planning aimed at the maximal use of free space and dense development, the dictatorship of developers imposing the form and price of constructed buildings and premises, urban infills with ill-fitting buildings in terms of spatial context, the dictatorship of ground rent, the construction of smaller commercial and consumer facilities with poor aesthetics, and the location of large shopping centers in city centers, often in areas of historical urban tissue and others [35,[60][61][62][63][64].…”

An Evaluation of Public Spaces with the Use of Direct and Remote Methods

“…Elements that are repeatable and characteristic of historical centers in small towns were incorporated into the modified research methodology (such as architectural and historical monuments, green spaces-proportional design, style). The developed method was modified based on a review of the literature [43,[51][52][53][54][55], as well as the analyses conducted by the authors [44,56]. The existing methods had to be modified for the needs of the study to account for the unique character of the analyzed public spaces, including differences in quality, historical fabric, and types of use (tourism, municipal management, community needs) relative to medium-sized and large cities.…”

Towards Evaluation of Environmental Spatial Order of Natural Valuable Landscapes in Suburban Areas: Evidence from Poland

“…It consists of several aspects, and each may be described by various variables. The main difficulty in evaluating spatial order is the selection of its variables [45], and of appropriate indicators which describe all dimensions of this complex phenomenon. Accordingly, researchers often selected a particular aspect of spatial order i.e., environmental [46], socio-economic [47], cultural, functional [43,48], or aesthetic to define and measure it.…”

“…For the evaluation of the spatial order multidimensional comparative analysis [36,45] as well as the point, the assessment method is widely used (see [50][51][52]). Galiński et al, [53] describe point assessment method as a tool for the valorization of spatial phenomena.…”