**3.3 Assessing characteristics for well-being on a regional scale using GIS**

GIS data from the county administration were used to elaborate characteristics. Corine land cover data play a vital role in this classification, as do other data of relevance, such as topography, environmental protection, noise disturbance, etc. CORINE (Coordination of Information on the Environment) is a programme initiated by the European Commission in 1985 to compile information on the environment with regard to certain topics and to ensure that information is consistent and that data are compatible across member states. One main part of the programme is the Corine land cover project covering 12 countries with a working scale of 1:100,000, and the smallest mapping unit 25 hectares. Sweden, however, has used a more detailed working scale with 5 hectares as the smallest mapping unit (Lantmäteriverket, 2003). Since the inventory of Corine land cover data is a European project, data corresponding to the present data should be available for most European countries.

 Other data sources for this project are administrated at the County Administration level and deal with, e.g., natural and cultural protection areas, key biotopes, a pasture land inventory, Nature 2000, a beach zone protection plan and a regional inventory of "silent areas" (a large-scale noise impact calculation). In addition to this topographic evaluation, data from the land survey administration were used.

Of significance in assessing characteristics for recreation on a large regional scale is that only existing data sources can be used for evaluation. In the present study, no resources, neither time nor money, have been available for a detailed systematic process of ground truth validation of different classification methods. However, the studied region is well known to

The Agricultural Landscape for Recreation 229

In the present regional study, we have limited our investigation to the five characteristics Serene, Wild, Lush, Spacious and Culture, as the three characteristics the Common, the Pleasure garden and Festive/centre require local data from the municipalities not available

Also we have excluded the four largest cities in Skåne (Malmö, Lund, Helsingborg and Kristianstad) but kept smaller towns and villages. In cities, large parks and other inner city green areas are a main recreational resource for residents. GIS data to elaborate characteristics of these areas are not available on a regional level. Therefore, the present

This study included 24,819 respondents located using their residential coordinates. Using GIS, the presence/absence of each of the five characteristics within 300 m from each respondent was defined based on the criteria in Table 2. The working process for the assessment of the characteristics is described in *Results* below. Table 3 shows the percentage of the population living close (300 m or 100 m) to the different characteristics. Spearman´s rank correlation coefficient, appropriate for investigating associations between ordinal scales, was used to test associations statistically between the number of characteristics (0-5) present within 300 m or 100 m of the respondent's residence and ordered answers to the survey questions. P-values below 0.05, and equivalently 95% confidence intervals for odds ratios excluding unity in ordinal regression analyses with adjustments for a broad list of individual determinants of health, were regarded as statistically significant (Björk et al.

Characteristics % of population

within < 300 m < 100 m Serene 6 4 Wild 3 1 Lush 24 7 Spacious 10 5 The common (not in the study) The pleasure garden (not in the study) Festive, centre (not in the study) Culture 24 15

Table 3. Percentage of the population that has the different characteristics within 300 and 100 meters, respectively, distance from their residence (Björk et al. 2008). Note that all individuals that have a certain characteristics within 100 meters also have it within 300

Each respondent's coordinates are defined as the centre point of the complex in which he/she lives. That centre point can be quite far from the position of the person's home, making the 100 m distance incorrect. 300 meters is a fairly normal distance to walk to get to

study is limited to the rural and semi-urban areas of Skåne.

at the time of the study.

**3.4 Statistical analysis** 

meters distance from their residence.

a nature area or a park.

2008).

members of the research group, which facilitated preliminary and overall checks of the produced classification maps.

After testing different alternatives for identification of the characteristics, including revisions, we ended up with the classification in Table 2. The final maps are presented at the end of the chapter


Table 2. Criteria for assessment of the five characteristics, final version. Figures in brackets refer to the land cover nomenclature (http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/COR0 landcover/page001.html).

members of the research group, which facilitated preliminary and overall checks of the

After testing different alternatives for identification of the characteristics, including revisions, we ended up with the classification in Table 2. The final maps are presented at the

Serene Wild Lush Space Culture

Mixed forest (3.1.3) Open space with little or no vegetation (3.3) (Beaches, dunes, and sand plains 3.3.1) Bare rock) Wetlands (4)

regional interest

Biodiversity areas, Bird biotopes ref. Nature 2000

Excluded areas

Table 2. Criteria for assessment of the five characteristics, final version. Figures in brackets refer to the land cover nomenclature (http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/COR0-

National park Coastal zone

dB(A) Noise > 40 dB(A)

"key biotopes" Slopes > 10 °

Forest >25 ha (3.1) Natural grassland (3.2.1) Heath land (3.2.2) Open space with little or no vegetation (3.3) Open wetland (4)

Farmland pointed out in a preservation plan

preservation

Non-urban parks (1.4.2.5)

Farmland pointed out in a preservation plan

National interests of cultural preservation Ancient remains

> Nature reservation areas

produced classification maps.

Forest (3.1) Thickets (3.2.4.1) Bare rock (3.3.2) Inland marshes, mires (4.1.1) Water courses, Lakes and ponds (5.1)

each >15 ha, or if <1 km from city

Pasture land of

< 800 m distance to wind power aggregates

Slopes > 10 ° All registered

end of the chapter

Broad-leaved forest (3.1.1) Mixed forest (3.1.3) Pastures (2.3.1) Marshes, mires (4.1.1, 4.2.1) Water courses, Lakes and ponds (5.1)

No artillery range

landcover/page001.html).

Noise > 30 dB(A) Noise > 40

In the present regional study, we have limited our investigation to the five characteristics Serene, Wild, Lush, Spacious and Culture, as the three characteristics the Common, the Pleasure garden and Festive/centre require local data from the municipalities not available at the time of the study.

Also we have excluded the four largest cities in Skåne (Malmö, Lund, Helsingborg and Kristianstad) but kept smaller towns and villages. In cities, large parks and other inner city green areas are a main recreational resource for residents. GIS data to elaborate characteristics of these areas are not available on a regional level. Therefore, the present study is limited to the rural and semi-urban areas of Skåne.
