Public green spaces (PGSs) have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of urban residents. However, their accessibility can be limited due to high urbanisation pressures and inadequate or insufficient regulatory provisions. This problem has been recognised for Central European cities, of which Wrocław is an example, where the provision of PGS accessibility has not received major attention in recent decades, and the planning system has been in constant transformation since the transition from a centrally planned to a free-market economy. This study therefore aimed to examine the distribution and accessibility of PGSs in the expanding area of Wrocław today and upon implementation of the plans under the proposed standards. These analyses were performed using the QGIS application, network analysis, and the ISO-Area as polygon algorithm. The findings revealed a conspicuous lack of available PGSs, which includes areas above 2 ha, such as district and neighbourhood parks. New PGSs are now being planned, but even so, part of the residential areas will remain outside their catchment zone. The results obtained provide strong evidence that it is essential that standards should be a tool implemented in urban planning, and that the adopted procedure can be transferred to other cities.

Silver fir is one of the longest living and tallest trees in Europe, it has major commercial importance and may be found in various communities predominantly connected with lower mountainous locations in Central Europe. One of the northernmost ranges in the region is the Sudetes. Currently, the once numerous fir is greatly dispersed, with just several specimens to be found together at one site on average. This drastic reduction in the number of specimens is mainly attributable to intensive forest management, based on the artificial cultivation of fir, conducted in the 19th and 20th centuries, and high industrial air pollution (mainly in the 20th c.). Because practically no firs have been cultivated for the last 200 years, the remaining sites of the species that are remnants of its bigger populations should be regarded as natural. This paper compares fir locations with areas of potential natural vegetation. The obtained results indicate that firs may grow in various types of habitats, with the preferred one being fertile beech woods and richer variants of oak-hornbeam forests. In our opinion, the presented findings are of great importance for the knowledge of the ecology of the species in question and for providing appropriate forest management.

Suburban areas are often used for large-scale developments such as hypermarkets, warehouses, and logistics zones, which lead to the fragmentation of natural areas and the visual degradation of the landscape. This study aimed to evaluate ways to reduce the negative impact of these developments by introducing green infrastructure (GI) elements. The analysis focused on warehouses in the inner ring of the planned green infrastructure system in the Wrocław Functional Area (GI WFA). This study involved three stages: (1) selecting a landscape-functional unit (LaFU) vulnerable to landscape degradation; (2) analyzing changes from the development of large-scale warehouses between 2004 and 2021; and (3) assessing the effect of new GI elements using the Sectoral Landscape Interior Analysis (SALI) method. Three models of GI implementation were proposed and evaluated both from a plan view and from a moving observer’s perspective. The results showed that large-scale developments reduce biologically active areas and disrupt landscape harmony. Model III, which includes green roofs, trees, and semi-permeable surfaces, significantly increased greenery and reduced visual degradation. It is recommended to apply the model and its variations in other similar developments for the benefit of the natural environment and landscape.

Publication made available by Lower Silesian Digital Library

This article presents a study of the elements of green infrastructure in villages located in peri-urban areas. The research focuses on the built-up areas of villages, which together with public and private green areas, are defined as the Cores of the Village (CoV). The research was based on the Wroclaw Functional Area (WFA). The main objective of the study was to identify which sites in a CoV have the potential to increase Green Infrastructure (GI) network connectivity and how these have changed with the development of built-up areas. These sites have been defined as Potential Green Infrastructure Elements (PeGI). The study was conducted over three time periods: the early 20th century, the early 21st century and future plans. The research revealed that, within the historic CoV areas, there existed PeGIs that communicated with external GI elements, but that such connections between PeGIs and GI elements have not been taken into account in future development plans. Furthermore, increases in the area of built-up land have not been matched by an increase in PeGI area. However, through the creation of greenways, among other things, there is potential for shaping PeGI inside a CoV in a way which would strengthen GI structural connectivity.