One of the essential factors influencing the overall urban experience is the presence of biologically active surfaces. Despite widespread awareness of the beneficial effects of such spaces, the natural tissue in cities is still being significantly limited by the priority given to functionality and the economy. The aim of this article is to assess the potential of using a hybrid infrastructure in the grey–green–blue system (GGB) on a public site. In order to assess the efficiency of the implemented solutions, a multi-criteria method was developed, thereby recognising this research aspect as necessary in the process of designing urban built-up spaces. The assessment compared indicators of biological activity in the area using the biotope area factor and green space factor scales. The rainwater retention potential was estimated using a quantitative method. The change in the site’s thermal conditions was analysed by conducting numerous experiments with the use of micrometeorogical computational fluid dynamics models ENVI-met. The demonstrated improvement in the proportion of the biologically active area, water retention, and thermal conditions, ranging from a few to a dozen percent compared to the initial state, confirms the legitimacy of using grey–green–blue infrastructure systems as a method of shaping a sustainable and climate-responsive urban design.

This study focuses on the analysis of lighting in night conditions to explain what lighting in parks should look like and how parks should be lit from the point of view of people’s perceptions. It addresses the impact of the lighting configuration of urban parks on preference, safety, mystery, legibility, and contact with the environment. The feelings of wheelchair users and able-bodied people were measured. The respondents assessed park landscapes presented in visualisations that varied in terms of lighting features and spatial contexts. This research showed, inter alios, that the participants rated evenly lit spaces more highly than those featuring spot lighting. In unevenly lit spaces, the lighting of the surroundings turned out to be crucial import for able-bodied people, while for the disabled respondents, a combination of lighting of the surroundings and of paths was significant. For evenly lit spaces, path lighting is less important for disabled people than for those without disabilities. These insights can help researchers to look at lighting solutions in a more human-centered way and take into account the environment in which they are used. This allows the design of night lighting in parks to be socially sustainable and promotes access to urban green spaces for all citizens. The study emphasises that the provision of sustainable lighting in parks should take into account different social groups, making light a common good.

Urban parks are vital public spaces that provide opportunities for recreation, relaxation, and social interaction. At night, their accessibility and functionality depend strongly on the quality of artificial lighting, which must balance user safety and comfort with ecological sustainability. This study investigates public perceptions of urban park lighting through a mixed-method approach combining participatory workshops and surveys. A workshop (n = 15), involving local residents recruited through community networks, included introductory presentations, group discussions, and open voting to map the related problems in the park activities. Data were collected through participant notes, visuals, and sketches. In parallel, an online and on-site survey (n = 144) was distributed via Google Forms during winter 2025. Results reveal three main themes. First, users consistently emphasized safety and orientation as the most critical functions of park lighting, though the 52.5% perception of safety remained moderate even in lit areas. Second, respondents and workshop participants expressed a preference for adaptive, functionally targeted lighting over uniform illumination. Third, ecological awareness was evident as more than half of the respondents recognized the negative effects of artificial lighting on the natural environment, with strong support for warm-spectrum lighting and light zoning to protect biodiversity. These findings highlight the potential of participatory methods to inform evidence-based, ecologically sensitive lighting strategies for urban parks.

This study aimed to check whether physical signs of children’s presence in the urban space have an impact on sense of safety and preferences. We based the study on an intra- and inter-group design, whereby respondents assessed two types of space: housing estates and green areas. The photos were manipulated to create three scenarios: control (without elements related to children), denotation (spaces supplemented with children’s playgrounds), and connotation (spaces containing elements associated with children). Each scenario was assessed by a separate group of respondents, who were further split between men and women. Analyses have shown that in residential districts, spaces with child-related connotations foster a feeling of safety and enhance the general appeal of the place, especially among women. In turn, direct signs of the presence of children (denotation) have a lesser impact on the positive assessment of the space. In green areas, adding child-related details did not affect women’s feelings but lowered men’s evaluations of safety and preference. The findings suggest that elements associated with children should be used selectively, taking into account the type of space and differences in perception between the sexes. These observations can support the creation of sustainable urban environments: safe and inclusive housing estate and park designs, especially in the context of building cities that foster social integration without exclusions. This is a preliminary study that paves the way for further exploration of the topic. In order to be able to analyse adults’ preferences and safety in more depth, it seems interesting to investigate the shared perception of landscape by children and adults and the possibilities of participatory design of public spaces.