Public Greenery Research Articles

Onsite restorative effect of a rural ecological farm versus an urban public greenery space

Accessible urban greenery allows short breaks and leisure activities while experiencing nature. Studies have shown that contact with nature elicits psychological and physical health benefits. However, the immediate impact and influence of exposure to artificial versus rural ecological nature have yet to be examined. This study investigates their psychophysiological restorative effects onsite, specifically when individuals view a ubiquitous urban public greenery space or a more indigenous ecological forest-like nature area, to compare levels of restorativeness and relaxation. Participants were asked to sit and view a scene onsite for 6 min while their facial muscle tension was recorded. The data were used to evaluate the degree of facial relaxation for both scenes. In addition, participant self-reports measured perceived restorativeness after the 6-min period. The self-reported data showed that the ecological farm scene was rated significantly higher for perceived restorativeness (t [49.136] = 9.094, p < .001) after 6 min of viewing. The muscle tension analysis showed that facial tension significantly declined when participants viewed the farm scene compared to the urban greenery space. These results, especially those on the farm, show that nature with more forest-like and rural elements elicited more powerful restorative effects and significantly lowered facial muscle tension (t [65] = − 2.785, p < .05), thus verifying that a more ecological nature landscape provides immediate, significant health benefits through attention recovery and reduced facial muscle stress.

Identifikasi Ruang Terbuka Hijau (RTH) Di Kota Ambon

Introduction: Greenery open space proportion in the city is, at least, 30 (thirty) percent of the city area. The proportion for public greenery open space (GOS) in the city is, at least, 20 (twenty) percent of the city area. Meanwhile, the proportion for private greenery open space (GOS) in the city is 10 (ten) percent. Hence, the proportion identification is needed, and availability of greenery open space (GOS) in Ambon City is adjusted with the provision of Act Number 26 of 2007 concerning Spatial Planning.Purposes of the Research: This research aims to identify the proportion and availability of greenery open space in Ambon.Methods of the Research: This research is doctrinal research using secondary data. The secondary data used is primary legal material, secondary legal material, and tertiary legal material. Library research is used as technique of data collection. Furthermore, technique of analysis data used in this research is qualitative data analysis with historical approach.Results of the Research: The Significance of total population also affects the decrease of air quality in the environment. The decrease of environmental quality can be returned by preserve the amount of greenery open space as stated in the applicable statutory provisions. The availability of greenery open space is also affected by the remaining amount of carbon dioxide emissions produced both from motorized vehicles and humans, because the carbon dioxide produced is directly proportional to the population. Total carbon dioxide emissions produced is 393,295.56 ton/year. Thus, the need of Greenery Open Space in Ambon is 10,783.39 ha, with details; greenery open space for public is 7,188.92 ha and for private is 3,594.46 ha from total population of 371,650 people with area of 35,944.62 ha. The need for ideal greenery open space in Ambon is still sufficient to absorb the remaining carbon dioxide emissions.

The cost of suburbanization: spending on environmental protection

ABSTRACT The goal of this paper is to assess disparities between different municipalities and evaluate the relevance of these differences to suburbs in comparison to other areas. The analysis is based on a methodological framework of CEPA environmental expenditure corresponding with the Czech public-sector budget financial structure. This study has three essential areas for Czech municipal expenses: water protection, waste management and biodiversity and landscape protection corresponding with public municipal greenery. We used the Ministry of Finance State Treasury Monitor dataset, providing data on municipal expenses for all 6,255 municipalities in 2010-2015 and compared relevant expenses in the Czech Republic's OECD metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. The results show that municipalities with the most outstanding water protection expenses per capita are exposed to a suburbanisation burden and are situated in neighbourhoods of Czech metropolitan centres. Disparities between municipalities clearly show that water protection costs per capita in less populous municipalities are three times those in bigger towns. The most extraordinary spending on maintaining public greenery was found in the metropolitan cores, showing that there is greater demand for public greenery. Regarding waste management, there is no apparent relationship with localisation in suburban areas.

The best housing estate in Czechoslovakia

The Brno housing estate Lesna is undoubtedly an important achievement of Czechoslovak urbanism and architecture of the 1960s. It was built on the southern slopes north of Brno in 1962–1970 according to a project by a team of architects Frantisek Zounek, Viktor Rudis, Miroslav Dufek and Ladislav Volak. Although it was a standard housing construction made of prefabricated components, the architects did not want to hide its technical expression. They also fully copied it into the very urban arrangement of long blocks, which contributed to the fulfillment of the vision of the garden city. Close cooperation between the supplier, investor and designer was ensured already in the phase of elaboration of the project task. The architecture of residential buildings is based on the diligent efforts of the whole team to promote the use of a lightweight facade of a prefabricated house using parapet panels and strip glazing in the B 60 construction system. The unusually high-quality solution of the public space in the Lesna housing estate was mainly due to the time of its creation. Political liberalization in the 1960s allowed architects to come up with a generous plan for a free stop and thus perfectly fulfill the vision of a garden city. The population density of the Lesna housing estate, less than two hundred inhabitants per hectare, was multiplied by up to four hundred inhabitants per hectare in other housing estates of the "president Gustav Husak" era due to tightening economic indicators. Public greenery respecting the natural elements of the rugged relief required a different professional approach due to the extent of the exterior design. It was common practice that landscaping were carried out on residential complexes with a delay of several months and years after the first inhabitants moved in. The architects managed to reverse this common practice, so the first inhabitants moved to finished houses with access sidewalks, planted greenery and functioning residential amenities. This could not have been imagined by its inhabitants in the later realizations of housing estates. That is why the Brno housing estate Lesna is rightly called the best.

Significance of Urban Vegetation on Lawns Regarding the Risk of Fire

Urban green infrastructure significantly influences the functioning of a city and the comfort of its residents. Lawns are an essential element of public greenery. They represent a live component, and if they are lacking, of low quality, or neglected, this will cause major problems in the urban environment. The vegetation structure of urban grassy areas changes under the influence of different management methods used for their maintenance. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the species diversity of urban lawns and to determine the influence of this vegetation on factors based on the representation of the species found. Three sites with urban lawns were chosen in a built-up city area where different types of vegetation management were applied: Typical management, in which grassy areas are mowed twice a year; intensive management, in which lawns are mowed several times a year and the biomass is removed; and extensive management, in which lawns are mowed irregularly, once a year at most, and the biomass is left unevenly on the site. Extensive management and unkempt urban grassy areas represent a high risk of fire due to the presence of plant species that produce great amounts of biomass. Combined with dry and warm weather, the dead biomass can lead to outbreaks of fire. Extensive management of urban grassy areas brings some benefits, such as lower maintenance costs and increased biodiversity and bioretention. On the other hand, intensive management reduces the risk of fire and the biodiversity of the plant community. Attention should be paid to the composition of vegetative species and their functions that could threaten the safety of residents, with the risk of fire being one of them. However, the vegetation biomass of grassy areas affected by management practices is only a precondition for the risk of fire because weather and drought occurrence play important roles as well.

Charging the Budget of the City Wroclaw With Urbanisation Costs (Poland)

The paper deals with the issue of charging local authorities with the costs of realisation of the provisions contained in local spatial development plans in Wrocław (Poland). Considering the planned spatial development in the area of the city Wrocław, the urbanisation costs that are chargeable to the municipality budget were identified. The economic effects of preparing areas designated for development in the residential programme offer were analysed. The paper provides an analysis of the cost of realisation of investments that belong to own duties of the municipality, including the cost of building municipality roads, sewage and water supply networks, arranging public greenery and purchasing land for public investments. The analyses were performed within the administrative borders of the city. The prognosed costs of the realisation of local spatial development plans demonstrate significant expenditure that Wrocław has to incur for the construction of sewage network and municipal roads. Additionally, the development of new areas will require the city of Wrocław to take over the real properties on which public goals are planned to be realised. One should thoroughly consider the actual need for new investment areas in the city. Demographic forecasts demonstrate that the areas designated for development significantly exceed the demand.

Whose Urban Green? Mapping and Classifying Public and Private Green Spaces in Padua for Spatial Planning Policies

The rising environmental issues on contemporary cities urgently calls for sustainable planning policies. Implementation of nature-based solutions, ecosystem services, and green infrastructures associated to green spaces management is at present of paramount importance. In contrast to policies mainly focused on public greenery, the inclusion of private green in planning strategies might be a promising pathway. The general aim is mapping and classifying urban green spaces in Padua, a city of 93.3 km2 (Northeast Italy). Specific aims are (i) testing an NDVI-derived extraction from very high-resolution orthophotos; (ii) classifying property status; (iii) highlighting multilevel relationships and strategies for urban green spaces implementation and management; (iv) assessing greenery in relation to per capita population. By performing remote sensing and GIS analyses, a first detailed global map of urban green spaces in Padua was created; then, binary classification and thematic maps for rural/non-rural, public/private, municipal/non-municipal greenery were produced for all urban units. Results show that, among total green spaces (52.23 km2), more than half are rural. Moreover, private green spaces represent 80%, while within public areas (20%) less than 10% are municipal (5 km2). We therefore highlight scenarios for planning policies in Padua by providing tools to policymakers for an integrated management of green spaces, where private greenery might also contribute to ecosystem services implementation for common urban well-being.

The Greenery of Early Modernist Housing Estates: The 1919–1927 Wałbrzych Agglomeration

Using the Wałbrzych agglomeration housing estates—once the most important mining and industrial region in Lower Silesia—as an example, this article illustrates the specific significance of the design of green spaces, including urban layouts, and the issue of protecting unique trees and green spaces in the concepts of estates from the early modernism period after the First World War in the years 1919–1927. This article tries to deepen the knowledge on the origins of the design solutions of public and private greenery systems while considering natural, landscape, and social needs. This study complements the information gathered so far in the field of forming green areas in modernist housing estates and highlights the importance of this issue in complex urban design. The Wałbrzych housing settlements are crucial because they were among the first of their kind, not only in Lower Silesia but also in the whole of the Weimar Republic. Based on literature and source studies, it was possible to reconstruct design ideas concerning the composition of green areas in most housing estates in the discussed area. The most interesting ones were presented and broken down into the landscape-related and functional aspects of the use of greenery in housing estates. This made it possible to select specific solutions applied by designers in order to indicate sources of inspiration and theoretically developed rules which then and now seem to be extremely adequate.

Urban Development and Population Pressure: The Case of Młynówka Królewska Park in Krakow, Poland

Green areas are necessary components of contemporary cities. They have a positive impact on the climate, ecological balance and resilience of the city structure, and provide numerous benefits to inhabitants. However, progressing urbanisation and a rise in urban population leads to increasing pressure on existing green spaces. Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, but especially over the past decade, the number of new developments in Krakow has been successively increasing. New multi- and single-family housing complexes are built not only in peripheral areas, but also as infilling and development of areas closer to the historical city centre. Simultaneously, the number of urban green spaces has increased only insignificantly. This paper analyses the example of Młynówka Królewska Park, located in the western part of Krakow, Poland. It focuses on city expansion processes and their relationship with public greenery. Furthermore, his study examines spatial and demographic issues that may have an impact on accessibility of the park area. The study was based on statistical data, analyses of recent planning documents, procedures and practices, as well as research performed in situ. The results indicate that the population pressure in the area under analysis changed significantly. According to the results, a correlation can be found between the latest urban development and population dynamics.

Charging the Budget of the City Wrocław with Urbanisation Costs (Poland)

The paper deals with the issue of charging local authorities with the costs of realisation of the provisions contained in local spatial development plans in Wrocław (Poland). Considering the planned spatial development in the area of the city Wrocław, the urbanisation costs that are chargeable to the municipality budget were identified. The economic effects of preparing areas designated for development in the residential programme offer were analysed. The paper provides an analysis of the cost of realisation of investments that belong to own duties of the municipality, including the cost of building municipality roads, sewage and water supply networks, arranging public greenery and purchasing land for public investments. The analyses were performed within the administrative borders of the city. The prognosed costs of the realisation of local spatial development plans demonstrate significant expenditure that Wrocław has to incur for the construction of sewage network and municipal roads. Additionally, the development of new areas will require the city of Wrocław to take over the real properties on which public goals are planned to be realised. One should thoroughly consider the actual need for new investment areas in the city. Demographic forecasts demonstrate that the areas designated for development significantly exceed the demand.

Historical Centers of Small Cities in Slovakia – Problems and Potentials of Creating Livable Public Spaces

Public spaces in the historic cores of cities need to adapt to changing requirements for their use, reflecting the current needs of their users. High-quality public spaces provide a safe, accessible, suitable and pleasant environment for various types of activities and meet the needs of residents - users. Based on their good functioning, cities are generally evaluated by their inhabitants as more or less attractive for life. Within the project “LIVA - The concept of livability in the context of small towns” we have examined public spaces in the historic city cores of selected small cities in Slovakia, to identify the problems and potentials of forming environmentally and people-friendly public spaces. The research shows, that today’s architectural-urban forms of public spaces in the historical centers of small towns in Slovakia are burdened with many problems, the most serious of which are usually their unsatisfactory functional content, unsatisfactory organization of transit transport, the poor state of public greenery, or unsatisfactory conditions of the physical environment – pavements or equipment with urban furnishings. The public spaces reflect the overall problems of small towns, remoteness, lack of investments, departure of young people and aging of the population, resulting in a lack of basic infrastructure and underdeveloped amenities for providing public services. In many cases, the historical centers of small towns do not provide sufficient attractiveness for businesses and cultural and social facilities in the parterre of buildings, nor variability of functional use of the public space. On the other hand, public spaces in the centers of small cities show the potential to offer a better quality of the environment. The central zones, the amenities, and public services, green infrastructure or recreation and sports areas in small cities are usually accessible within walking distances, which supports pedestrian movement and reduces the use of cars. The historical cores of small towns in many cases successfully preserved their cultural heritage values, their historical identity, and their character.

Public attitudes toward biodiversity‐friendly greenspace management in Europe

AbstractIncreasing urbanization worldwide calls for more sustainable urban development. Simultaneously, the global biodiversity crisis accentuates the need of fostering biodiversity within cities. Policies supporting urban nature conservation need to understand people's acceptance of biodiversity‐friendly greenspace management. We surveyed more than 2,000 people in 19 European cities about their attitudes toward near‐natural urban grassland management in public greenspaces, and related their responses to nine sociocultural parameters. Results reveal that people across Europe can support urban biodiversity, yet within the frames of a generally tidy appearance of public greenery. Younger people and those using greenspaces for a greater variety of activities were more likely to favor biodiversity‐friendly greenspace management. Additionally, people who were aware of the meaning of biodiversity and those stating responsibility for biodiversity conservation particularly supported biodiversity‐friendly greenspace management. Our results point at explicit measures like environmental education to increase public acceptance of policies that facilitate nature conservation within cities.

Assessment of Green Spaces Development in Prague During Years 1901–2010

Abstract Although the issue of urban greenery is a frequently discussed topic and numerous case studies have already documented the beneficial functions of green spaces in the cities, studies on the balance of urban greenery during the past 20th century are few. This research follows up the issue of Prague urban green spaces during the years 1901–2010 and documents the changes in Prague public greenery in that period. The analysis specifies the development of public greenery and characterizes its categories in the individual decades of the 20th century. The percentage of public greenery and its area in hectares are given for each decade. Furthermore, the total green area is confronted with the number of inhabitants then living in Prague. The results have shown a continuous development and expansion of urban greenery. Their application will be beneficial to the city planning for sustainable development and further management of current and future public green areas as a part of the capital’s urban structure.

Designing hotspots in the public spaces and public greenery of modern cities – selected issues

The idea of smart cities is no longer just a vision of urban planners, authorities, and ordinary people – it is being implemented to an ever broader extent. Activities aimed at the accomplishment of the goals set for contemporary cities, oriented at making them “smart”, involve numerous areas, including public and green spaces. In order to increase the attractiveness of these areas and to encourage potential users to make use of them to an increasingly greater extent, it is recommended to make it possible for them to easily use wireless networks in public and green spaces, while at the same time working on the principles of organising the surroundings of the hotspots, increasing the comfort of their use. What is key in this respect is not only to adjust the parameters of the basic features of the WiFi signal, but also to take into consideration the spatial elements, such as the landform features and plant coverage. An analysis of the above-mentioned factors related to the use of Wi-Fi in the open air made it possible to formulate recommendations for shaping the hotspot space in these places. They apply to public spaces, including in particular green spaces in cities, as in these places, there is real demand for outdoor wireless Internet access.

The financial impact of urbanization costs in Poland at municipality level – the case of Wrocław city

The study discusses the problem of financial impact on Wrocław Municipality exerted by the costs of implementing decisions resulting from the selected local spatial development plans. Currently in Poland, at the stage of local spatial development plan establishment, a forecast of financial consequences is prepared. The expected own revenues and the costs of financial impact exerted on the municipal budget are presented in this document. The study facilitates making decisions about the final version of the local development plan. Taking into account the planned spatial development in the area of Wrocław city, the urbanization costs exerting financial impact on the municipal budget were identified. The study analyses only the cost of implementing investments within the scope of the municipality own tasks, including the cost of constructing municipal roads, sanitary sewerage system, water supply system, public greenery facilities and land purchase for public investments. The analyses covered two selected areas of the city, located in its different parts. These are largely uninvested areas, predominantly constituting agricultural land, and such land development requires the construction of technical and social infrastructure facilities. The anticipated costs of implementing local development plans in force in various parts of Wrocław indicate significant expenses to be covered by Wrocław Municipality in order to build sewage systems and municipal roads. Taking up new development sites is also correlated with taking over the real properties by Wrocław city, on which the implementation of public goals is planned.

Water in Krakow’s Gardens, Parks and Areas of Greenery

In park and garden design, one of the more valued assets of the natural environment is water. Perceived as the source of life, it has always constituted an essential element of garden compositions, one that is both impressive and symbolic. In subsequent historical periods, designers expanded the possibilities of using water in garden layouts and since the nineteenth century waterfront areas have been an important element of shaping systems of urban parks. The article features a characterisation of the participation of water and waterfront areas in Krakow’s gardens and areas of public greenery. The matter of both waterway systems that order the structure of the city, anthropogenic or natural pools, as well as details decorating park spaces were discussed. One of the most essential elements that have crystallised Krakow’s urban layout are so-called river parks. The presence of rivers in the city significantly improves its visual attractiveness. Natural points, sequences of views and exposed places are highly distinct, in addition to an attractive waterfront landscape with outstanding landmarks. This is confirmed by historical panoramas and contemporary conceptual proposals of walking areas and boulevards. River parks, which are linear, show highly diverse landscapes, the separate tradition of places, their own identities, including natural identities—not limited to the Vistula River valley—as the Vistula is the main river. Natural and artificial bodies of water and their accompanying recreational areas, e.g. Zakrzówek, Bagry or Przylasek Rusiecki, have a significant share in shaping Krakow’s areas of greenery. Water is also present in Krakow’s gardens and parks. Its visual qualities, the charm of shimmering light, reflections and the dynamism of, among other things, water jets on a smooth water surface, as well as its sound have all found their use. In gardens or manorial or palatial parks it often constituted an essential compositional element, e.g. in the garden of Łobzów, the parks of Dębniki or Prokocim. It did not survive in any of them. Later on it also became an important part of the programme of public parks, with pools or ponds located, among other places, in Planty Park and Park Jordana. To this day it brings joy and refreshment to its users in the form of representative fountains and water jets. In the article it was presented just how diverse functions does water play in the composing of Krakow’s areas of greenery—from the detail to the planning of its urban structure. The fact that, particularly recently, a frontal turn has been made towards the Vistula, as there were voices that the city had its back turned to it. At present, public areas that are open towards the water are being designed. Designs of waterfront areas that have recently been completed in Krakow and which constitute a result of competitions, were shown as well. These include the parks in Zakrzówek or near Płaszów lake. This proves that water still remains an inexhaustible source of inspiration and its accessibility in areas of public greenery attracts large amounts of users.

Mutual Influences of Urban Microclimate and Urban Trees: An Investigation of Phenology and Cooling Capacity

This paper presents an empirical study on urban tree growth and regulating ecosystem services along an urban heat island (UHI) intensity gradient. The UHI effect on the length of the growing season and the association of cooling and shading with species, age, and size of trees was studied in Salzburg, Austria. Results show that areas with a low UHI intensity differed from areas with a medium or high UHI intensity significantly in three points: their bud break began later, the leaf discoloration took longer, and the growing season was shorter. After leaves have developed, trees cool the surface throughout the whole growing season by casting shadows. On average, the surfaces in the crown shade were 12.2 °C cooler than those in the sun. The tree characteristics had different effects on the cooling performance. In addition to tree height and trunk circumference, age was especially closely related to surface cooling. If a tree’s cooling capacity is to be estimated, tree age is the most suitable measure, also with respect to its assessment effort. Practitioners are advised to consider the different UHI intensities when maintaining or enhancing public greenery. The cooling capacity of tall, old trees is needed especially in areas with a high UHI intensity. In the future, species differences should be examined to determine the best adapted species for the different UHI intensities. The present results can be the basis for modeling future mutual influences of microclimate and urban trees.

Quality of Social Space in Selected Contemporary Multifamily Housing Complexes in Poland’s Three Biggest Cities

The investment boom in multi-family residential buildings observable in Polish metropolises at the turn of the 20th century seems to have slowed down. Due to the growing difficulty in obtaining and repaying mortgages, potential customers have become more demanding. Users’ needs come first once again, including the need to dwell in beautiful surroundings. Developers implementing projects of multi-family housing estates in different scales more and more often pay attention not only to the floor area, but also to the aesthetics of new buildings. Many housing estates put into use in Poland in recent years are as good in this respect as their contemporary western counterparts. Quality of workmanship and finishing standards of buildings and their immediate surroundings increase, too. This study covers examples of new housing investments, regarded as prestigious, from Poland’s three biggest cities (Warsaw, Cracow, Lodz), implemented in 10 recent years. The goal was to verify by means of a comparative analysis whether their architectural quality has changed compared to previous years. Does it mean that beautiful residential architecture comes into being? Is it a common phenomenon? Is life comfortable in beautiful, prestigious housing estates? Do they form real, efficient habitats, or only bedroom communities, or are they another type of investment? What are the relations of contemporary multi-family estates with the urban tissue in light of the growing spatial chaos in Poland’s biggest cities? According to the study results, in recent years Poland saw more and more multi-family housing estates, attractive in their contemporary form, furnished with well-tended and carefully arranged social – predominantly green – spaces. Alas, due to a limited number of services they are usually closed enclaves, often fenced. Frequently they lack sufficient services necessary for proper functioning of the housing environment: trade, education (nursery and primary schools), healthcare, basing on the existing overloaded city infrastructure. Therefore, their contribution to building of sustainable spatial structures is limited, not to mention such obvious drawbacks as lack of continuity of the public domain in the form of public greenery systems, pedestrian routes, or squares. Responsibility for this situation goes not only to designers and investors of such complexes, but mostly to local authorities, whose goal should be to maintain spatial order in cities. These are still, however, single islands on the sea of mediocre dense residential architecture. Growing transport-related problems result from scarcity of appropriate road infrastructure and limited municipal investments in public transport and education / sports services, which do not balance the increase of developers’ residential investments. One of the basic causes of this situation is the aforementioned crisis of spatial planning, observable in the three cities included in the study.

СУЧАСНИЙ СТАН ОЗЕЛЕНЕННЯ ТЕРИТОРІЇ МІСТА РІВНЕ

The present state of the greenery Rivne is analyzed. The green plantations of the city are considered and described. The total area of green areas of the city is 414.2 hectares. It is established that the total provision of inhabitants in Rivne with greenery makes 17.0 m2 per 1 inhabitant, and the provision of public greenery of general use is 6.6 m2. Within the city there are 26 plots of recreational purpose, which is 2.4% of the whole territory. The structure of the city-wide landscaped territory of the city's general use includes: 12 parks, of which 8 are specialized and 4 multipurpose parks, 33 squares, 4 squares, 2 avenues and the 2 squares. It was established that inhabitants of different neighborhoods of the city are not uniformly equipped with recreational territories. In the northern industrial agglomeration, their share is 13.59% of the total area of public utilities, 17.00% in the eastern region, 6.93% in the western region, 16.25% in the southern part, 46.23% in the central part of the city. Most of the recreational areas of the city undergo intense recreational activity. The most important problems of greenery in Rivne are described, connected with this transformation processes in general use plantations: inefficient economic activities, significant recreational loads, pollution of the air and soil with harmful substances, contamination of territories, etc.

A comparison of neighbourhood liveability as perceived by two groups of residents: Tehran, Iran and Tartu, Estonia

Liveability is an important component of the sustainable urban environment, especially in residential neighbourhoods. This study presents a comparison in perceived liveability between residents living in two very different locations, Tehran, Iran and Tartu, Estonia, using a questionnaire survey (n = 102). The image-questionnaire was used to measure residents’ response towards environmental factors and to examine the relationships between the attributes of residential neighbourhoods and perceived liveability. Statistical analyses were performed to analyze the data collected from the survey. The results showed that the neighbourhood liveability was positively influenced by proportion and scale of the spaces, amount of private green areas, street character, amount of public greenery, the variety of building form, the mix of buildings from different periods, perceived crowding and social density. The study demonstrated that residents can assess the factors and that the approach worked in two contrasting locations. The results also showed a great deal of similarity in preference, although this was not the main aim of the study. The approach has potential to be incorporated into participatory urban planning models.