Allotments in Bratislava, Slovakia—historical development and land cover changes analysis

Allotment gardens have been a permanent and dynamic part of the urban socio-economic and ecological system; however, they are currently facing intense urbanization or gradual neglect. This paper characterizes the changes in landscape structure and agricultural land use in the areas of the current allotment gardens from the mid-twentieth century to 2022. Our research finds that the first allotment gardens in Bratislava began to be established at the end of the nineteenth century. The greatest boom in gardening occurred in the 1970s, following a government resolution that ordered municipalities and towns to include areas for allotment gardens in their land use plans. Based on available spatial and statistical data, we compared land use in 1949 with land use in 2022 using the 3rd level of CORINE Land Cover Classification (CLC). Based on our criteria, we selected areas that can currently be considered allotment gardens. Selected allotments cover an area of 915 ha and represent 2.5% of Bratislava’s total area. In the 1950s, these areas represented mainly heterogeneous agricultural areas (CLC category 24) (477 ha/52.1%), non-irrigated arable land (149 ha/16.3%), or grasslands (124 ha/13.5%). The introduction of a law that allowed individual members of settlements to buy land at state-guaranteed prices was a major intervention in the operation of the allotment gardens as we knew them in the 1970s. No new allotments were created after 1989. Furthermore, according to the Bratislava Zoning Plan, a large number of these sites are meant to be converted into areas for residential, recreational, and public transportation.