Exploring the potential for development of urban horticulture in the 1960 s housing estates. A case study of Lublin, Poland

Abstract

This manuscript presents how the urban horticulture (UH) supports sustainable.modernization of the 1960's multi-family modernist housing estates, still numerous all.over the world. The aim of the research was to indicate optimal areas for sites to introduce the.selected forms of UH within the Słowacki Estate in Lublin (Estate). The intermediate.goals were to identify the physical and social conditions that support the development.UH to the Estate and to provide an inventory of the most preferred UH forms that can.be introduced in the Estate. The residents’ interest in UH was determined using an in-depth questionnaire.interview. Next, the natural environment quality and UH suitability of the estate’s green.areas were examined. Then, an focus interview was conducted with the estate management to establish their standpoint on developing UH to the estate.The presented case study on the housing estate in Lublin (Poland) demonstrated genuine recognition for UH forms among the residents. It also showed that food security, which is basically the foundation of UH, was not essential for the estate residents, unlike its secondary aspects – recreation, social integration, and the aesthetic value of flower cultivation. The preferred UH forms include: window sill and balcony cultivations, private gardens at ground-floor apartments, rooftop farms (in cooperation with city authorities), community gardens in the form of flowerbeds set up in disused sandboxes and small flower allotment gardens. The novelty of this research is, on the one hand, its practical dimension, i.e., focusing on the problem of introduction (or development) of UH forms in the specific "urban organism" – an existing housing estate with its coherent urban layout, local community and own authorities. The following publication has also a methodological dimension,i.e., it proposes a method of investigating the potential of a housing estate to introduce/develop UH. It is also valuable due to its interdisciplinary dimension, combining sociological, agrienvironmental,and urban sciences in a new way. The results will support the development of the housing environment sustainability in estates, especially with, elderly residents. Presented case study will be an inspiration for introducing UH in 1960's modernist housing estates in other countries.