DOI: 10.11118/978-80-7701-025-2-0237

RENATURALIZATION PRACTICES APPLIED TO THE CREATION OF PUBLIC SPACES IN PERIPHERAL URBAN AREAS

Soňa Bellérová¹, Marek Hus¹

¹ Institute of Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 94976 Nitra, Slovakia

Despite the significant emphasis placed by the professional community on the need to implement renaturalization procedures in the design of urban environments, these approaches are still applied rather sporadically in practice. Renaturalization, as a design approach, presents several challenges. These include specific aesthetic considerations, alternative ways of understanding the relationship between the user and the environment, as well as the often-demanding maintenance and management systems required in our conditions. As part of the IN-HABIT research project, the planning process for an experimental renaturalized public green space in the Nitra River retention zone has begun. The selection of species composition was based on phytocenological analysis, supplemented with renaturalization-supporting approaches such as integrated ecological design, co-design, and the Gestalt principle of contrast. This paper describes the principles applied in the renaturalization of the selected area, including the procedures used for creating and selecting suitable plants and herbs. It also discusses the methodologies employed in choosing native species that will contribute to the ecological stability of the area while enhancing its aesthetic value. An interdisciplinary team-comprising a designer, landscape architect, methodologist, implementers applying ecological, local, and historical landscape creation practices, community activators, meadow composition experts, dendrologists, engineers, and others-collaborated on creating this experimental space. The implemented solution will serve as a laboratory to monitor aspects of sustainability, the quality of the proposed designs and maintenance practices, as well as their acceptance and impact on the public.

Keywords: biophilic urbanism, environmental design, nature-based solutions, autochthonous species, specific aestetics

pages: 237-243, Published: 2025, online: 2025