Urban River Parks

Urban River Parks (URPs) are becoming increasingly important internationally as part of climate-adaptive and health-promoting urban development. At the same time, perceptions, patterns of use, and expectations of such spaces differ across cultural and societal contexts. Previous studies conducted by the Landscape research group in Seoul (South Korea), for example, show that URPs are associated not only with experiences of nature and recreation but also with order, safety, and urban leisure activities.

As part of this master’s thesis, an empirical survey will be conducted in Vienna and subsequently compared with an existing sample from Seoul, South Korea. The aim is to analyze the similarities and differences in terms of landscape perception, infrastructure preferences, motivations for visiting, and perceived well-being.

The master’s thesis includes the implementation of a standardized survey in Vienna as well as the statistical analysis and cross-cultural comparison of the two datasets (Vienna/Seoul). The focus is on investigating which qualities of urban river landscapes are perceived as particularly relevant and how societal and cultural contexts influence the use and evaluation of such spaces.

The thesis is intended for students with an interest in landscape architecture, urban studies, spatial planning, environmental psychology, or social science research. An interest in quantitative social research methods and statistics (R or SPSS), as well as an interest in relevant topics related to landscape perception, urban and landscape research, and empirical research, is an advantage.

Supervision:
Boris Salak
Susann Ahn

Application via email:
boris.salak@tuwien.ac.at