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

Abstract

Public spaces play many important roles and constitute a vital component of the urban fabric, in particular in towns with historical centers. Effective management of public space should be based on the results of qualitative assessments. The quality of public space is usually evaluated directly during field surveys. However, field methods require considerable effort and time, which is why a remote sensing method based on satellite images and the Street View technology was proposed in this paper. Two Polish towns were evaluated, and the results generated by the direct and the remote approach were compared. The assessment focused on public spaces which constitute public property and promote direct human interactions. Both methods produced highly similar results, which indicates that remote sensing is a suitable technique for assessing the quality of public spaces.

Attractiveness of Central Public Spaces in Small Polish Towns Based on a Spatial Order Analysis

“…In Nowa Słupia, almost the whole space of the square is used as a parking lot. Similar management approaches have been defined as inappropriate and were also observed in other regions of Poland [17,33,37,39]. Research shows that areas dedicated to car traffic decrease the vitality of public spaces [99].…”

“…It should also be noted that the predominant assumption found in the literature on the subject is that all of the components of spatial order are equally important for the functioning of a public space. Without well-developed elements of the urban planning-architectural or social orders, the main squares in small towns would not perform the basic functions of a public space, similar to the ecological and aesthetic orders [33,34,92].…”

“…The present spatial order of public spaces is largely related to the historical and economic conditions as well as the demographic potential and location of small urban centres. In towns where the historical (medieval) location of central squares has been preserved, revitalisation, made available with sufficient financial means, helped raise the aesthetic and functional values of the public spaces [33]. In such cases, the old town architecture generally has a positive impact on visual appeal due to the historical heritage of the town square [17].…”

“…In such cases, the old town architecture generally has a positive impact on visual appeal due to the historical heritage of the town square [17]. However, even in such towns, we focus on the limited functionality of buildings, poor aesthetics, and undesirable use of public space (e.g., changing green surfaces into carparks) [17,33].…”

Improving Citizens’ Health in Underground Public Interior Spaces Through AI Powered Green Walls

“…Underground interior spaces which is the focus of the current work have evolved dramatically on the economic, technological, and social scales which has been in direct proportion to the rapid urbanization by the 21st century and previous research has proven its negative impact on humans' overall health either physically or mentally and that came in relation to multiple factors one of which is poor air quality and lack of sunlight. [1], [2] Interior Design Solutions related to improving air quality are various, one of the most prominent alternatives that has proved its positive impact on human health are increasing green areas which has driven the innovation of new design approaches like biophilia. Green walls are one of the forms of increasing the green spaces vertically and it is a modern technology that is gradually finding its place in advanced contemporary cities in the world today.…”