Tim Gregorčič, Lena Kropivšek, Irma Potočnik Slavič
DOI: 10.35666/23038950.2025.52.59
UDC: 911.373GIS“2023/2025“(497.4)
Abstract: Operational insights related to mapping and analysing rural place (dis)amenities
This study employs collaborative mapping to identify the amenities and disamenities associated with living and working in the Slovenian rural areas, with a focus on the Košana Valley and the Upper Pivka as a case study. We conceptualize an amenity as a spatial quality or characteristic that enhances the attractiveness of a location for rural habitation and work, determined not solely by quantitative measures but also shaped by individual perceptions and mental representations. The survey on (dis)amenities was conducted over three consecutive years with a single target group comprising 109 geography students. In total, 670 amenities (classified in 10 categories) and 521 disamenities (classified in 11 categories), were geolocated, described, assigned a value and documented photographically. A systematically designed methodological approach—encompassing the preparation of ArcGIS Online data base, prefieldwork preparation, fieldwork execution, and post-processing with both exploratory and explanatory analyses —enabled the application of advanced and more complex cluster spatial analyses. Key outcomes are interpreted in terms of: (1) practical relevance for use by local authorities, decision-makers, land use planners, and the general public), (2) didactic potential of collective mapping; and (3) methodological implications for the analysis and visualization of collective mapping data.
Keywords
amenity, disamenity, collective mapping, Košana Valley, Upper Pivka, Slovenia
GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEW - SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL FOR GEOGRAPHY No 52, Year 2025. pg. 59-85