The Journal "Agriculture and Forestry"
Časopis "Poljoprivreda i šumarstvo"
- Since 1955 -
Year 2015, Volume 61 Issue 4
| Year : | 2015 |
| Volume : | 61 |
| Issue : | 4 |
| Authors : | Alenka FIKFAK , Svetislav G. POPOVIC, Saja KOSANOVIC |
| Title : | SETTLEMENT PATTERNS IN AN AGRARIAN LANDSCAPE – PRINCIPLES OF CLASIFFICATION IN GORISKA BRDA, SLOVENIA |
| Abstract : | Agrarian settlements represent the essential part of the cultural landscape, which is nowadays transforming because of demographic and functional changes, development of transport networks, the agricultural shift from basic food production to a trade and market-oriented activity, and the inflow of urban programmes and forms into rural areas. The complex relationship between the transformative agrarian landscape, the contemporary socioeconomic component of a rural area, and its pattern and form kept from the past opens a new research interest. The study presented in this paper articulates elements of settlement morphology, and landscape and agricultural strategies found in the predominantly winegrowing area of Goriška brda in west Slovenia. The research deals with the development of a classification system of settlements forms, analyses of statistical and spatial data, and the implementation of various methods of settlement morphology, land use and density level investigation and presentation. The detailed study of 15 selected settlements of Goriška brda and their later comparison show various extremes with regard to the ratio between the number of inhabitants (households) and the agricultural area. The perceived and partially present high pressure on agricultural land may be viewed as a direct indicator of the desire to develop the best agricultural land by building, i.e. for living in a settlement. It is therefore necessary to further develop the interdisciplinary approach to establishing the proper connection between the built area and the agrarian landscape in order to preserve the value of agricultural systems while taking care of cultural, tourist and visual values. |
| For citation : | Fikfak, A., Popovic, S.G. Kosanovic, S. (2015): Settlement patterns in an agrarian landscape – principles of classification in Goriska Brda, Slovenia. Agriculture and Forestry, 61(4): 319-335. |
| Keywords : | Settlement pattern, rural area, agrarian landscape, classification, Goriška brda, Slovenia |
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