In the Search of an Assessment Method for Urban Landscape Objects (ULOs): Tangible and Intangible Values, Public Participation Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS), and Ranking Approach

Agnieszka Kułak,Barbara Sowińska-Świerkosz,Dawid Soszyński,Malwina Michalik-Śnieżek

doi:10.3390/land9120502

Abstract

The effective assessment of urban space must link subjective and objective approaches. The main aim of the paper was to develop and test such a method of assessment in relation to one of the elements of the urban landscape called urban landscape objects (ULOs). The tested method fulfils the following requirements: (1) merges social and expert opinions, (2) analyzes diverse characteristics of urban space, (3) quantitatively presents the results of values assessments, and (4) features the simplicity of structure and ease of public understanding. The method was tested in relation to 34 ULOs located in three different functional sites within Lublin city (Poland). The result enables authors to answer three research questions: (1) How do people perceive ULOs located in different sites? (2) What kinds of tangible values possess different ULOs and how can they be expressed? (3) How can intangible and tangible values be merged? The general finding of the study showed that the Old Town features the highest ranked position in terms of all the values (mean aggregation index (A) ULOs = 0.64), together with the higher share of the most appreciated ULOs, whereas the Lagoon features the lowest ranked position (mean AULOs = 0.35), also statistically comparable with the Campus (mean AULOs = 0.45).

Highlights

Europe is among the world’s most urbanized regions, with approximately 73% of Europeans living in urban areas, a figure expected to increase to 80% in 2050 [1]
While analyzing only the intangible values, it was identified that the students attributed a relatively high rank to the aesthetic values, whereas the rank given to the spiritual, enjoyment, and universal categories were of lower significance (Table 3B)
Clear differences were seen between entertainment and other types of values (Table 3C)

Summary

Introduction

Europe is among the world’s most urbanized regions, with approximately 73% of Europeans living in urban areas, a figure expected to increase to 80% in 2050 [1]. The valuation of the urban landscape as a main element in the quality of life is crucial from the point of view of spatial planning processes in cities, which should be consistent with the concept of sustainable development, especially in terms of preserving cultural landscapes, as well as directing and harmonizing its changes resulting from social, economic, and environmental processes. This valuation should simultaneously draw upon social impact assessments, by involving the community in decision-making processes [2,3]. Differentiation can be seen in the elements under assessment, including visual quality of the urban environment [12,13] and urban ecosystem services [14,15,16], as well as in relation to intangible ecosystem services such as cultural ecosystem services (CES) [17,18]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion