The Influence of a Person’s Sociocultural Experience on the Associative Perception of Park Landscapes

Abstract A review of scientific works on the functioning of park spaces highlights a conflict of interest between the use of historical and memorial parks as centers for daily recreation and the need for their preservation. Recent studies focus not only on understanding how park environments are perceived but also on identifying differences in the preferences and needs of park users from various age groups, genders, and socioeconomic backgrounds. This research analyzes the associative perception of park environments among respondents of different age groups to determine the impact of sociocultural factors, particularly Soviet ideals, on their perception of park landscapes. The results indicate that for younger individuals, the defining features of memorial parks are their restrained and monumental character, while for older individuals, these parks are perceived as memorable, symbolic, majestic, ceremonial, as well as sacred, mournful, and somber. The prominence of ceremonial and majestic qualities in the emotional-associative responses of older respondents, and their strong influence on the identification of a memorial park’s character, may reflect the impact of memorial park designs (predominantly military-themed) that dominated Ukraine in the mid-20th century on the aesthetic perception of visitors. In historical and memorial parks, respondents from both groups pay attention to historical buildings and monumental-sculptural elements, while in descriptions of urban recreational parks, a significant portion of mentions focuses on plants and architectural features that contribute to the comfort of recreation.