Green Infrastructure 2014 Group K - Case Study 3
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Green Infrastructure of the Rural Settlement Tvrdošovce and its Surrounding Landscape
© Attila Tóth 2014
| Name | Tvrdošovce Municipality | |
| Country | Slovakia | |
| Place | Tvrdošovce | |
| Authors | Attila Tóth | |
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Rationale: Why is this case interesting?
Contemporary research into Green Infrastructure is mainly applied to urban areas of cities and towns, while rural settlements (villages and small rural towns) and their landscapes are still a bit overshadowed in terms of research, planning and design practice. Therefore, exploring the green infrastructure in rural landscapes stands for a challenging research and design task for landscape architects and related specialists.
Why is the case of Tvrdošovce (Tardoskedd) relevant for answering research questions about rural green infrastructure? It is one of the largest rural settlements (small towns) in Slovakia in terms of inhabitants (more than 5,300) as well as in terms of size/area (5,556 ha / 55.56 km2), while still having a rural character in terms of urbanism, architecture, landscape and other spatial features. It is surrounded by an extensive agricultural landscape typical for the Danube Lowland which has undergone vast structural changes during the last three centuries, but mainly in the 20th century (such as deforestation and putting grasslands under the plough at the turn of the 19th and 20th century and in the first half of the 20th century; collectivization of agriculture in the 1950s; establishment of new non-forest woody vegetation structures in the second half of the 20th century or appearance of uncultivated pastures and arable land in the recent two decades). These are just some of the changes and interventions which have changed and transformed landscape structures and formed the contemporary landscape character and image. Although, the assessment of these structural landscape transformations is very complex, in terms of landscape architecture we can define negative changes (such as decrease in accessibility and connectivity through reduction of roads and tracks in the agricultural landscape or draining the agricultural landscape for production reasons in the 20th century) but also positive changes (such as increasing the portion of woody vegetation in the urban area and open landscape in the 2nd half of the 20th century or improvement of international and national nature and landscape protection in the recent decades - e.g. European Landscape Convention and NATURA 2000).
In the context of these landscape transformations and based on analyses of the landscape history and current landscape structures, Green Infrastructure stands for a strategic planning tool with an important potential to address contemporary deficiencies and problems of the landscape, such as the lack of the connectedness of green spaces or the vanished cultural and historical legacy of landscape accessibility and permeability. In this case study, Green Infrastructure can be seen as an instrument for a better implementation of the European Landscape Convention.
Author's perspective
I am a graduated landscape architect (MSc) doing PhD research into Green Infrastructure in the context of rural settlements and landscapes at the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra and the Vienna University of Technology in Austria. Beside my main research interest, I am also involved in the European scientific & research project COST Action Urban Agriculture Europe as Early Stage Researcher. I have studied landscape architecture, landscape & spatial planning at three universities in two countries - in Slovakia (SPU Nitra) and Austria (BOKU Wien, TU Wien). I am a motivated team worker experienced in international and interdisciplinary planning, design, scientific and research activities.
My personal relation to the site is that I have lived there for almost 27 years and could personally experience some of the most recent changes in the intra-urban and peri-urban area of the site, while my professional relation to the site has started approximately 7 years ago in the form of seminar design projects and later through bachelor research and thesis, master research and thesis, smaller design projects, up to the ongoing doctoral research which will be thoroughly presented in the doctoral thesis (to be published in 2015).
Landscape and/or urban context of your case
- Biogeography and Overall Character
The geographical location and high quality arable land have predestined agriculture to become the main land use of the municipal territory of Tvrdošovce (Tardoskedd) since centuries. The soil fertility has an organic origin based on specific natural and water conditions formed by wetlands and marshlands, small watercourses and bodies of water within and around the rural settlement. The small intra-urban lakes stand for an ecological peculiarity and natural value of the site and they have become an integral component of the intra-urban area due to urban development. The small rural town is spatially and functionally linked with the surrounding agricultural landscape. The high soil fertility is one of the major potentials of the municipality and its future quality is determined by a sustainable water management in the landscape. The municipality of Tvrdošovce is located in the Danube Lowland, at an altitude of 112 to 125 metres above mean sea level. It lies on the main state road I/75. The total cadastral territory is 55.56 km2. Tvrdošovce borders on 6 municipalities - Vlčany, Selice, Jatov, Rastislavice, Šurany and Palárikovo.
(Tóth 2012; Master Plan of Tvrdošovce Municipality 2006)
- Potential Natural Vegetation
The potential natural vegetation of the site is represented by Ash-Elm-Oak Forests in Catchment Areas of Major Rivers ("hard" floodplain forests) with the representation of following species: Ulmenion (Ulmus minor, Ulmus laevis, Quercus robur, Sambucus nigra, Allium ursinum, Anemone ranunculoides). The potential natural vegetation in the surrounding areas is represented by Willow-Poplar Forests in Floodplains of Large Rivers ("soft" floodplain forests) (Southwest) and Hygrophilous Lowland Peri-Pannonian Oak-Hornbeam Forests (Northeast).
(Tóth 2012; Landscape Atlas of the Slovak Republic, 2002)
- Geology, Soil & Water
The geological bedrock consists of Neogene sedimentary basins comprised of gray and multicoloured clays, dust, sand, gravel, lignite layers, freshwater limestones and tuffs. The main geochemical rock types are sandstones and clay stones. The site belongs to the sub-region of fluvial deposits and aeolian sands on fluvial deposits. The whole area is located in the region of tectonic depressions. The Quaternary cover is predominantly alluvial humic loam or loamy-sandy to gravelly-sandy loam of floodplains. The basic relief type is represented by plains or softly undulating plains. The relief shape is characterized by loess plateaus. The area lies on the interface between two geomorphologic units - flatlands of the Danube River and hilly areas of the Nitra Region.
Nearly the entire municipal territory of Tvrdošovce is covered by the most fertile soil types of Slovakia - Mollic Fluvisols and Chernozems. The agricultural land has high humus content (2.3 %). There are also local Salt Marshes and Solonetzes of carbonate-fluvial and loess sediments. In terms moisture regime, the soils range from moderately dry to moderately moist with a neutral to slightly alkaline soil-reaction. In terms of granularity, there are non-skeletal loamy-sandy, sandy-loamy and loamy soils.
The most important hydro-geological collectors are clays, gravels and sands. The whole area belongs to the Váh River Basin. There are small watercourses (streams), mainly with a soil ameliorating (land draining) function, relatively low flow rates and an unsatisfactory quality of water. These anthropogenic micro-river-basins underwent vast water management adjustments. Only some small streams have an unadjusted bed. Most of the watercourses have a strong oxygen deficiency and a high level of eutrophication. North of the urban area, there is an irrigation water reservoir with an area of 1 ha used as a pond. The groundwater is stabilized at a depth of 2.9 to 3.5 m below the surface. There is a geothermal well at the south-eastern border of the urban area reaching a depth of 2,406 m and a temperature of 68 ° C to 71 ° C.
(Tóth 2012; Master Plan of Tvrdošovce Municipality 2006; Landscape Atlas of the Slovak Republic, 2002)
- Climate, Temperature, Precipitation & Wind
The site is located in the hottest areas of Slovakia - the Danube Lowland. It belongs to the warm climate zone (warm and dry district with mild winter) and the lowland sub-zone of Slovak climate with prevailing oceanic influence.
The average annual air temperature ranges between 9 and 10 ° C. The average annual temperature of the active soil surface is higher than 12 ° C. The warmest month is July with an average air temperature of 19.7 ° C. The coldest month is January with an average air temperature of -2.1 ° C. There are on average 15 tropical days a year (days with a temperature above 30 ° C), 66 summer days (days with the highest air temperature ≥ 25 ° C) and 22 ice days (days with an air temperature of 0 ° C).
The mean annual rainfall is 541 mm - the highest rainfall is in June and July (58 mm). The maximum annual rainfall is 834 mm; the minimum annual rainfall is 308 mm. Snow cover lasts on average 37 days a year, the average maximum snow cover is 20 cm. Duration of the sunshine is approximately 2,200 hours per year. The average snow cover ranges between 6.2 and 16.8 cm. The average number of days with snow is 36, the maximum number of days with snow is 87 and the lowest number of days with snow is 3.
There is a prevailing north-westerly windflow, the overall wind conditions are mild, the average wind speed ranges from 2.6 to 4.6 metres per second.
(Tóth 2012; Landscape Atlas of the Slovak Republic, 2002)
- Current Land Use Structure
Arable land (43.92 km2 / 79 %); Built-up area (3.44 km2 / 6 %); Permanent grasslands (2.84 km2 / 5 %); Bodies of water (1.67 km2 / 3 %); Gardens (1.26 km2 / 2 %); Orchards (0.83 km2 / 2 %); Vineyards (0.62 km2 / 1 %); Forests and Woods (0.41 km2 / 1 %); Other areas (0.58 km2 / 1 %)
(Master Plan of Tvrdošovce Municipality 2006)
- Cultural Features, Local Identity, Architectural & Spatial Landmarks
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Green Infrastructure benefits for this site
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Potential for multifunctionality
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Projective drawings
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