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This paper analyses the value of cultural ecosystem services in urban green spaces. A field survey of 900 respondents in Ljubljana, Slovenia, examined cultural ecosystem services in seven types of urban green spaces and compared the results with two types of non-green public spaces (old town, shopping mall). Differences between the types were assessed using one-way variance analysis (ANOVA). Results showed statistically significant differences between the types, with sports facilities standing out as valuable for recreation and education. The old town's cultural heritage and aesthetics were highly valued, while shopping malls ranked lowest. The study emphasises the importance of urban green spaces for quality of life of residents and informs land use planning decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the concept of participatory urbanism and analyses its practical implications in the context of the City of Ljubljana. It assesses the potential of participatory methodology for physical and social interventions in public spaces through the case-studies of two creative spatial practices: urban community garden Onkraj gradbišča / Beyond the construction site and community-led renovation of Savsko naselje neighbourhood. It indicates how bottom-up initiatives can contribute to sustainable development of an urban area, especially to its environmental and social features. It concludes with the ideas of how cities might engage with bottom-up spatial practices to increase the effectiveness of urban spatial planning, management and administration, and to boost their green creative image.

Modern lifestyles demand the exploitation of natural resources, which results in a significantly deteriorated living environment. The goal of this study was to determine and evaluate people’s relationship to the environment and their willingness to take action themselves to protect it. The majority of people (or more than half, in this case) support environmental protection in principle, especially in word only, because this is also socially desirable. However, when they must address limitations that would interfere with their lives by limiting activities or increasing costs, their enthusiasm abates quickly. Twenty percent of people can be defined as being in favor of environmental protection and regarding it as a value. Education level plays a very important role in people’s behavior towards environmental issues. This study was carried out in Ljubljana by surveying 408 people.

Quality of urban life is a useful concept for studying the quality of residential environment and its effect on quality of life. The article is based on the data analysis of the survey research Quality of Life in Ljubljana (2010). Using structural equation modelling and hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis, the effect of residential quality on quality of life was determined and compared to the effects of selected domains of life. The results depend heavily on the operationalization of quality of life and on the selected independent variables in the model. Structural equation modelling confirmed the hypothesis about the effect of residential quality on quality of life, wherein satisfaction with the dwelling has a significantly greater effect on it than satisfaction with the neighbourhood and with living in the city. The hierarchical regression analysis results show that the quality of life for Ljubljana residents is most affected by their own estimation of social-economic factors, especially economic well-being, family life, and social life.

This article analyzes the key features of the spatial distribution of creative industries in Ljubljana and the Ljubljana urban region. Special attention is devoted to analyzing factors that influence the concentration of individual branches of creative industries in specific locations. GIS tools were applied to evaluate factors that influence the distribution of creative activities. Simultaneously, the concept of central places is used to analyze variations of spatial clustering of creative enterprises. Data for the analysis were collected from the Slovenian Business Register (AJPES) and the Real Estate Register (GURS). The mapping of creative economies identifies patterns of concentration and reveals some locational disadvantages that have arisen due to the absence of clear development strategies regarding creative economies in Slovenia.

Green areas and especially their distribution and composition are the key factor that makes urban people’s lives more comfortable and healthier. Even though Ljubljana residents also have many other green areas at their disposal in their immediate vicinity, the area of Rožnik Hill and Tivoli Park as an urban forest with dispersed park features continues to be the most popular recreational destination, with roughly 1,750,000 visits per year. In 1984 it was designated a protected landscape area through an ordinance. In the past decades, a number of conflicts have arisen in this area between various stakeholders, such as landowners, park users, and specialist services, which is why these types of areas require careful and prudent management.

Ljubljansko polje is a gravel plain lying along the Sava River north of Ljubljana. Although built-up areas are steadily expanding, the water protection area has helped preserve the character of relatively intensely cultivated agricultural land at least in its central part. However, illegal dumping sites pose a threat to the groundwater in the gravel aquifer. In the narrowest and narrow water protection areas of Ljubljansko polje, we have found, registered, and studied 1,445 illegal dumping sites with a total surface area amounting to 120,816 m2 and a total volume of 209,422 m3. A good seventh (13.5%) of the total waste is hazardous. In the area surveyed, we also registered 86 gravel pits, 47 information and warning signs, and 57 road barriers on access roads. In time, it will be necessary to rehabilitate all the illegal dumping sites; however, due to the large quantity of waste it is unrealistic to expect this to happen in one go, and we have therefore established a priority schedule for the rehabilitation.

Ljubljana began its southward expansion south relatively late because the characteristics of the Ljubljansko Barje moor had a hindering effect on the expanding process of the city. However, with the gradual development of industry and commerce and the growing number of immigrants, the process of urbanization gradually started to spread into this area. The beginnings of the expansion began in the 1960's and intensified from the 1970's on. Along with organized construction, unregulated illegal construction was very widespread and settled numerous areas that were later rounded out and individual parts of pre-viously still unurbanized areas. Supervision over these construction sites was poor and allowed uncontrolled settling, which in places dictated the directions of further urban development. Due to its proximity of the center of the city, the area considered in this study became increasingly impor-tant. The number of activities increased greatly, shopping centers and the infrastructure network developed, and the comprehensive solution of communal network is still in the process of formation. Although this study covers only a part of the entire city, numerous smaller areas within it developed that have their individual characteristics and differ greatly, which is reflected in the pattern of settling, the devel-opment of the areas, and the structure of the population. For this reason, the area studied is extremely heterogeneous and, as such, a challenge for further research.

The article is composed of two parts. The first is based on theoretical geographical-devel-opmental factors of balanced competitiveness of cities (regions) in conditions of globalization and the emphasized role of a creative milieu as fundamental development impulses. The second one explores the importance of Ljubljana and its role in the system of innovative urban centers in contrast to the metrop-olis agglomerations in the wider surroundings employing empirical findings. We support its position using the geographical dimensions of innovative dynamics as the fundamental development generator for the entire national urban system and evaluate its developmental research potential as well as investment, eco-nomic, and population capacities from the viewpoint of the opportunities offered by its central position and function as a capital city.

This article analyzes the key features of the spatial distribution of creative industries in Ljubljana and the Ljubljana urban region. Special attention is devoted to analyzing factors that influence the concentration of individual branches of creative industries in specific locations. GIS tools were applied to evaluate factors that influence the distribution of creative activities. Simultaneously, the concept of central places is used to analyze variations of spatial clustering of creative enterprises. Data for the analysis were collected from the Slovenian Business Register (AIPES) and the Real Estate Register (GURS). The mapping of creative economies identifies patterns of concentration and reveals some locational disadvantages that have arisen due to the absence of clear development strategies regarding creative economies in Slovenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kakovost življenja v mestu je uporaben koncept za preučevanje kakovosti bivalnega okolja in njenega vpliva na kakovost življenja. Prispevek temelji na analizi podatkov anketne raziskave Kakovost življenja v Ljubljani (2010). Z modeliranjem strukturnih enačb in hierarhično multiplo linearno regresij-sko analizo smo ugotavljali vpliv kakovosti bivanja na kakovost življenja in ga primerjali z vplivom izbranih življenjskih področij. Rezultati so precej odvisni od operacionalizacije kakovosti življenja in od izbora neodvisnih spremenljivk v model. Z modeliranjem strukturnih enačb smo potrdili domnevo o vplivu kakovosti bivanja na kakovost življenja, pri čemer ima zadovoljstvo s stanovanjem nanj bistveno večji vpliv v primerjavi z zadovoljstvom s sosesko in z bivanjem v mestu. Rezultati hierarhične regresijske analize kažejo, da na kakovost življenja prebivalcev Ljubljane v največji meri vpliva njihovo vrednotenje družbeno-eko-nomskih dejavnikov, zlasti življenjske ravni, družinskega in družabnega življenja. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article introduces a new form of economic activities, which has attracted much attention during the past years. This new form is cultural industry, a term which defines a certain part of tertiary activities, the importance of which is rapidly gaining in importance within cities. The term cultural industry includes all highly specialized services, which provide products and services, that have a higher symbolic than material value and trade with intellectual property rights. The article provides precise definitions of cultural industry and an empirical presentation in the case of Ljubljana. Furthermore the article also implies possible consequences of cultural industry on the economic and spatial development of cities.

Ljubljansko polje je prodna ravnina vzdolž reke Save, severno od Ljubljane. Kljub temu, da se nanj nezadržno širi pozidava, je vsaj v osrednjem delu ravno zaradi vodovarstvenega območja ohranilo značaj sorazmerno intenzivno obdelane kmetijske pokrajine. Podtalnico v prodnem vodonosniku ogrožajo divja odlagališča odpadkov. Na najožjem in ožjem vodovarstvenem območju Ljubljanskega polja smo našli, popisali in preučili 1445 divjih odlagališč odpadkov. Njihova skupna površina je 120.816m2, skupna prostornina odpadkov pa 209.422m3. Med vsemi odpadki jih je dobra sedmina (13,5 %) nevarnih. Evidentirali smo še 86 gramoznic, 47 obvestilno-opozorilnih tabel in 57 ovir na dovoznih poteh. Sčasoma bo vsa divja odlagališča odpadkov treba sanirati, vendar je zaradi velike količine odpadkov nerealno pričakovati, da bi to naredili naenkrat, zato smo določili prednostni vrstni red sanacije. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ljubljana began its southward expansion south relatively late because the characteristics of the Ljubljansko Barje moor had a hindering effect on the expanding process of the city. However, with the gradual development of industry and commerce and the growing number of immigrants, the process of urbanization gradually started to spread into this area. The beginnings of the expansion began in the 1960's and intensified from the 1970's on. Along with organized construction, unregulated illegal construction was very widespread and settled numerous areas that were later rounded out and individual parts of previously still unurbanized areas. Supervision over these construction sites was poor and allowed uncontrolled settling, which in places dictated the directions of further urban development. Due to its proximity of the center of the city, the area considered in this study became increasingly important. The number of activities increased greatly, shopping centers and the infrastructure network developed, and the comprehensive solution of communal network is still in the process of formation. Although this study covers only a part of the entire city, numerous smaller areas within it developed that have their individual characteristics and differ greatly, which is reflected in the pattern of settling, the development of the areas, and the structure of the population. For this reason, the area studied is extremely heterogeneous and, as such, a challenge for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]