Geografie 2024, 129, 357-382
Attractive places in an ostensibly unattractive town: Přerov through the eyes of its inhabitants
, Petr Šimáček, Miloslav Šerý
Palacký University Olomouc, Faculty of Science, Department of Geography, Olomouc, Czechia
Received February 2024
Accepted August 2024
The assessment of place attractiveness is a complex issue that has been addressed in geography for several decades. This text aims to contribute to the current knowledge by exploring the potential existence and role of positively perceived (topophilic) places within generally negatively perceived urban environments. In the studied area, the town of Přerov (with a population of 41,000), the characteristics of these places and changes in their perception over time were investigated. Research data were collected using a questionnaire survey (n = 374) based on mental mapping. The “topophilia index” was utilized to assess the level of place attractiveness. It was confirmed that even in the town, which is generally perceived as unattractive, places with significantly positive meanings (urban green places, water bodies, the historic centre) exist. Such places are particularly appreciated for their natural beauty, tranquillity, and atmosphere. Furthermore, the findings suggest the occurrence and meaning of topophilic places remain stable over time.
Keywords
place attractiveness, topophilia index, mental mapping, map questionnaire, Přerov, Czechia.
Funding
This study was supported by the Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc internal grant IGA_PrF_2024_022 "Novel approaches to studying the human thermal environment in urban areas".
