Assessment of therapeutic qualities of ten public parks in Bydgoszcz

This paper presents a binary rough assessment of ten public parks in Bydgoszcz, followed by a detailed assessment of one of them – Dolina Pięciu Stawów. The assessment was conducted using the universal pattern of design for health-affirming urban landscapes. The binary rough assessment results were satisfactory and similar for all parks. The results of the assessments indicated areas for possible improvement and can be used by the designers and inhabitants as justification for amendments. The major advantages of selected parks were qualities of space for mental and physical regeneration while the major deficiencies resulted from a lack of recreational equipment for various age groups and limited opportunities for social contacts. There were no major discrepancies and the fact that the rough assessment showed only little variation depending on the size of parks is proof of its limitation. This subjectivity of the rough evaluation was mitigated by a detailed assessment of Dolina Pięciu Stawów. This evaluation indicated further areas for improvement. The universal pattern of design for health-affirming urban places can be used as a ready-to-use tool.