Conceptual Principles of Blue Growth in the Development of Natural Assets in Urban Parks of Ukraine

Abstract

Introduction. For the coastal regions of Ukraine, the conceptual provisions and principles of the blue economy, which define the main approaches to the functioning of maritime industries in the context of sustainable development, have recently become particularly relevant. Harmonious development of coastal regions is impossible without considering the main components of nature management and their connection with the concept of blue growth. One of the important directions of natural use within the city, particularly on the seaside, is recreation in city parks and related activities of related sectors of the economy. Therefore, this study substantiates conceptual approaches and defines the role and place of city parks in the economy of nature use based on blue growth. Aim and tasks. The purpose of the study is to substantiate the conceptual provisions of the use of natural resources of city parks as natural assets in order to form effective strategies of sustainable development, in particular, on the principles of blue growth of city parks in accordance with their condition and the degree of influence on the development of urban space and society. Results. In the context of the study, the differences of such concepts as: “natural capital”, “natural resources”, “natural assets”, “ecosystem functions”, and “ecosystem services” are substantiated, which is revealed by taking into account the conceptual and systemic features according to the presence of the consumer and involvement in economic and social processes. Based on this, the essence of the natural resources of urban parks as assets was analysed and substantiated using the GE/McKinsey matrix. It was determined that different city parks are unequal in terms of availability of natural assets and their contribution to urban improvement and economic development. In the matrix analysis process, urban parks were typified according to the degree of involvement of their natural assets in economic and social processes, which allowed for the prediction of differences in risks that arise in the process of decision-making and organizational and economic measures regarding the functioning of parks. Conclusions. Thus, based on the improvement of conceptual provisions regarding the use of the natural assets of city parks, a conceptual basis for the study was developed in the context of sustainable development, and the peculiarities of the understanding of city parks as natural assets were determined. Based on the matrix analysis results, the types of city parks were determined according to the quality of their resources and their importance (role) to the city, and the risks that arise in their functioning were substantiated. It has been proven that tasks and priorities regarding the development of city parks should be based on natural, economic, and social factors, and that their functional dependence on the effectiveness of decision-making is substantiated.