The Public Scene in Suburban Rural Settlements
Abstract: In recent years, the dynamics of suburban development in Slovakia has influenced rural areas within the reach of cities. Projects aimed to condense and expand original rural structures along with new forms of housing create space for a higher quality of life, appreciated for healthier environment due to the surrounding nature and optimal social relationships and home-based ties. The successful fulfillment of these benefits does not consist only of building new attractive family houses, but mainly of the equilibrium of the complexity, quality and vitality indexes of the surrounding urban environment. It seems to be the countryside that provides the space and opportunities for the application of these parameters. What is, however, the reality of the suburban areas of Bratislava? The dynamic growth of settlements, combined with the commercialization of the territory disturbs the atmosphere and the identity of the rural environment. New development projects often do not follow declared values of quality in residential areas and the vitality of an attractive public space, but are rather characterized by the hunt for profits, degrading the infrastructure of current rural settlements, the cohesion and the culture of the inhabitants. In practice, there is a lack of the all-embracing approach, individual partial projects are not coordinated and often results in tensions and conflicts. However, recent trends have shown a certain progress in developers´ thinking and strategies, caused mainly by the oversaturation of the real estate market. Their aim is to reflect the future users' needs, to distinguish their residential projects from the others and to offer added value in the form of a park, public space etc. The aim of this article is to evaluate the contemporary development of the residential function in the suburban rural areas of Bratislava, to point out to the main problems and possibilities of the regulation of new constructions for the creation of a fully-fledged urban area.
