The Use of Green Infrastructure in the Suburbs: Insights from Three European Cities

Living close to green infrastructure (GI) components might be the dream of many people who are often exposed to cities’ pollution, congestion, or lack of green amenities. Due to its multiple benefits, green infrastructure plays a significant role in driving people’s decisions to leave inner-city are...

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Main Authors: Constantina-Alina Hossu, Jürgen Breuste, Ioan-Cristian Iojă, Diana Andreea Onose, Alexandra Vrînceanu, Lidia Ponizy, Iwona Zwierzchowska, Roksana Kryger, Andrzej Mizgajski
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Land
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/11/1862
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author Constantina-Alina Hossu
Jürgen Breuste
Ioan-Cristian Iojă
Diana Andreea Onose
Alexandra Vrînceanu
Lidia Ponizy
Iwona Zwierzchowska
Roksana Kryger
Andrzej Mizgajski
author_facet Constantina-Alina Hossu
Jürgen Breuste
Ioan-Cristian Iojă
Diana Andreea Onose
Alexandra Vrînceanu
Lidia Ponizy
Iwona Zwierzchowska
Roksana Kryger
Andrzej Mizgajski
author_sort Constantina-Alina Hossu
collection DOAJ
description Living close to green infrastructure (GI) components might be the dream of many people who are often exposed to cities’ pollution, congestion, or lack of green amenities. Due to its multiple benefits, green infrastructure plays a significant role in driving people’s decisions to leave inner-city areas and move to suburban locations. However, how GI components are used once people move into the suburbs must be better understood. Thus, this study explores residents’ rationales for leaving the inner city and moving to the suburbs and how they use suburban GI components. A survey was undertaken in six suburbs from three European cities: Poznań (Poland), Salzburg (Austria), and Bucharest (Romania). We found that people self-reported that green amenities were the main reason for choosing a suburban residence. Furthermore, those residents who moved to the suburbs were more interested in using their private gardens than larger parks and prefer natural green areas with high potential for recreation to agricultural landscapes for leisure. This study advocates for investment in private green spaces in suburban developments due to their deep interweaving with residents’ leisure preferences.
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publishDate 2024-11-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Land
spelling doaj-art-cffb7336c0314499a6f56f4a89a33a282025-08-20T01:53:57ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2024-11-011311186210.3390/land13111862The Use of Green Infrastructure in the Suburbs: Insights from Three European CitiesConstantina-Alina Hossu0Jürgen Breuste1Ioan-Cristian Iojă2Diana Andreea Onose3Alexandra Vrînceanu4Lidia Ponizy5Iwona Zwierzchowska6Roksana Kryger7Andrzej Mizgajski8Centre for Environmental Research and Impact Studies, University of Bucharest, 1 Nicolae Balcescu Boulevard, 010041 Bucharest, RomaniaSURE International Center Urban Ecology, Institute for Geography, University Hildesheim, Universitätsplatz 1, 31141 Hildesheim, GermanyCentre for Environmental Research and Impact Studies, University of Bucharest, 1 Nicolae Balcescu Boulevard, 010041 Bucharest, RomaniaCentre for Environmental Research and Impact Studies, University of Bucharest, 1 Nicolae Balcescu Boulevard, 010041 Bucharest, RomaniaInstitute of Geography, Romanian Academy, 12 Dimitrie Racovita, 023993 Bucharest, RomaniaDepartment of Integrated Geography, Faculty of Geographical and Geological Sciences, Adam Mickiewicz University, ul. Bogumiła Krygowskiego 10, 61-680 Poznań, PolandDepartment of Integrated Geography, Faculty of Geographical and Geological Sciences, Adam Mickiewicz University, ul. Bogumiła Krygowskiego 10, 61-680 Poznań, PolandDepartment of Integrated Geography, Faculty of Geographical and Geological Sciences, Adam Mickiewicz University, ul. Bogumiła Krygowskiego 10, 61-680 Poznań, PolandInstitute of Management and Quality Studies, Calisia University, ul. Nowy Świat 4, 62-800 Kalisz, PolandLiving close to green infrastructure (GI) components might be the dream of many people who are often exposed to cities’ pollution, congestion, or lack of green amenities. Due to its multiple benefits, green infrastructure plays a significant role in driving people’s decisions to leave inner-city areas and move to suburban locations. However, how GI components are used once people move into the suburbs must be better understood. Thus, this study explores residents’ rationales for leaving the inner city and moving to the suburbs and how they use suburban GI components. A survey was undertaken in six suburbs from three European cities: Poznań (Poland), Salzburg (Austria), and Bucharest (Romania). We found that people self-reported that green amenities were the main reason for choosing a suburban residence. Furthermore, those residents who moved to the suburbs were more interested in using their private gardens than larger parks and prefer natural green areas with high potential for recreation to agricultural landscapes for leisure. This study advocates for investment in private green spaces in suburban developments due to their deep interweaving with residents’ leisure preferences.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/11/1862suburban residential areagreen infrastructuresurveyPoznańSalzburgBucharest
spellingShingle Constantina-Alina Hossu
Jürgen Breuste
Ioan-Cristian Iojă
Diana Andreea Onose
Alexandra Vrînceanu
Lidia Ponizy
Iwona Zwierzchowska
Roksana Kryger
Andrzej Mizgajski
The Use of Green Infrastructure in the Suburbs: Insights from Three European Cities
Land
suburban residential area
green infrastructure
survey
Poznań
Salzburg
Bucharest
title The Use of Green Infrastructure in the Suburbs: Insights from Three European Cities
title_full The Use of Green Infrastructure in the Suburbs: Insights from Three European Cities
title_fullStr The Use of Green Infrastructure in the Suburbs: Insights from Three European Cities
title_full_unstemmed The Use of Green Infrastructure in the Suburbs: Insights from Three European Cities
title_short The Use of Green Infrastructure in the Suburbs: Insights from Three European Cities
title_sort use of green infrastructure in the suburbs insights from three european cities
topic suburban residential area
green infrastructure
survey
Poznań
Salzburg
Bucharest
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/13/11/1862
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