The influence of active leisure areas on the visual quality of the urban environment

In planning active leisure areas, the main emphasis is placed on the elements used in the infrastructure of childrenʼs playgrounds and recreational sports areas, their functionality, and compliance with various safety requirements in the public outdoor space. However, there are no uniform requirements for the aesthetics of the elements or the visually coherent inclusion of such infrastructure in the surrounding environment and existing infrastructure. The study aims to evaluate the impact of the infrastructure of active leisure areas on the visual quality of the public outdoor space and possible improvements by choosing alternative elements with a different visual design but similar functionality and to distinguish the main characteristic features for determining the visual quality of elements and characterize the impact on the surrounding environment. The research uses the descriptive or monographic method to collect and analyse the elements and functionality included in the surveyed territories in the summer and autumn of 2022, evaluating the aesthetic quality of the elements in active leisure areas in the public outdoor space of Riga and Tallinn. The studyʼs main results reflected several problems related to integrating active recreation areas into the surrounding environment. They highlighted issues related to the quality of the existing environment, which can be described as insufficient or low and which characterizes the planned development as coming into conflict with the existing environmentʼs aesthetic qualities or their absence.