DOI: 10.11118/978-80-7701-087-0-0247

LANDSLIDE SCARPS, AS EXEMPLIFIED BY RECREATIONAL URBAN AREAS IN EUROPE AND SOUTH AMERICAN COASTAL CITIES

Andrzej Długoński¹, Beata Fortuna-Antoszkiewicz¹, Jan Łukaszkiewicz¹, Jacek Krych^1,2

¹ Department of Landscape Architecture, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Poland

² Faculty of Architecture, Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland

Landslide scarps are steep landforms formed at the top of a landslide, where a mass of earth or rock has separated from a stable subsurface. Their presence in cities poses a significant engineering challenge and a hazard to residents, given the availability of these dangerous areas for recreation and tourism. In Poland, in the Gdańsk and Sztutowo areas, the sand slopes of beach recreational areas are protected by retaining walls and an erosion-control plant (Rosa rugosa). Roses also serve a decorative function and are part of the protected landscape of Pomerania. In Lima, South America, slate slopes are protected by metal or linen nets that shield pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport. This is also a suitable habitat for groundcover plants, which can cover the drab landscape, but require irrigation, a pressing need in a country with limited water resources and the development of tourism in the Milaflores district due to picturesque ocean landscapes and the coastline offering beach leisure activities. This paper demonstrates climatic, cultural, and recreational differences and explores how landscape architecture and ecological engineering can address slope stabilisation in cities while simultaneously ensuring human well-being, the development of coastal leisure facilities, and the quality of recreation, as well as strengthening the role of tourism in protected landscapes in urban areas. 

Keywords: nature protection, recreation, cover plants, Lima, Gdańsk

pages: 247-251, Published: 2026, online: 2026