THE IMPACT OF LAND-USE ON THE SOCIAL AND ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS IN COURTYARDS OF LARGE SCALE HOUSING ESTATES

References: 17th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM 2017, www.sgemviennagreen.org, SGEM2017 Vienna GREEN Conference Proceedings, ISBN 978-619-7408-29-4 / ISSN 1314-2704, 27 - 29 November, 2017, Vol. 17, Issue 63, 1039-1046 pp; DOI: 10.5593/sgem2017H/63/S27.129

ABSTRACT

This article looks at courtyard spaces in large scale housing estates as places to support social cohesion, by the same time promoting sustainable development. Being planned as multifunctional spaces, courtyards in large scale housing estates in Riga now face lack of activity, are overcrowded with cars and green areas are often described as monofunctional and in bad condition. In the city’s territory planning documents the land-use of courtyard spaces varies between green territories, residential development territories, public development territories and mixed-use development with residential function. Such differences can both, have no effect on real development of these territories or have a negative impact on the courtyard spaces, which have originally been designed as places for recreation, social cohesion and physical activity.
This article seeks for an answer to a question whether courtyard areas defined as green spaces, comparing to those, which are defined as other land-use, can be described as multifunctional, biodiverse, with diversity of ecosystem services. The article also raises the question of changes in planning documents and the need for more specific land-use mapping in courtyard areas.
Mapping of official land-use is followed by on-site observations to compare planned land-uses with the real situation and functions of spaces. Outdoor environment is assessed using adapted CBE-OUT checklist, and then the places with min and max value regarding functions and variety of ecosystem services are compared with the data from inhabitant surveys about their satisfaction regarding neighborhoods. As a result recommendations for courtyard area development were developed.

Keywords: large-scale housing estates, courtyards, neighborhoods, land-use, sustainable development.