Geoecological approach to the design of recreational areas in large cities

¹ Saint-Petersburg State University, 13B Universitetskaya Emb., St Petersburg 199034, Russia
² Saint-Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design, Russia  

^* Corresponding author: annamatveevskaya@mail.ru

Abstract

Life in big cities exacerbates a person's desire to be more often in the bosom of nature, enjoy the peace and beauty of landscapes. The administration of megacities is concerned about the problems of preserving the natural environment and creating within the city limits a network of recreational areas where recreational activities can be organized. In each region, this type of recreation is organized in accordance with the laws adopted in the state. According to geoecologists, the share of recreational areas should be at least 15% of the total area of the city. So for example the total area of such territories in St. Petersburg is only 6 004.4 hectares (which is 4.17% of the total area of the city). Comparison of the urban map of landscapes and located areas for recreation within the city allows concluding about the unequal representation of each landscape. This should be taken into account when designing new protected areas within the city. In the research, an attempt to generalize the theoretical material in the field of environmental and recreational resource studies is done. Also, a detailed description of recreational opportunities for the rational use of individual components of the city's natural environment is presented. The authors conducted a geoecological analysis of the allocation of recreational areas in large cities. Features of nature that should be taken into account when designing recreational areas in large cities, on an example of St. Petersburg, are noted.