Since the Middle Ages, the flower meadows have been moved from their natural, rural location to the urban environment. Wild meadows had a positive impact on the quality of Green Infrastructure as they helped increase the biodiversity in the urban environment. However, over the centuries, the role of meadows has been taken over by manicured lawns, which now cover more than 70% of all green urban spaces in the world [Ponte-e-Sousa et al. 2016]. Lawns are found in all gardens, front gardens, public parks, cemeteries, golf courses, and along streets, although it is not the most environmentally friendly design solution. Lawns are green deserts, with low biodiversity and requiring specific expenditure for proper maintenance.
Between 2013 and 2016, social research was conducted in three cities in Sweden: Uppsala, Malmö and Gothenburg on the perception of grassy spaces in residential settlements. The structure of architectural engineering in the above-mentioned units in the post-war period was related to the so-called “Swedish Model”, which sought to provide housing of a good standard and a healthy environment for the working class. The complexes of multi-family housing were created, with acres of lawns in between. The social research was based on observations and interviews with residents. The results showed that people like lawns even though they don't always use them. For most of them, it is a mandatory element in settlement green spaces. Lawns are appreciated as useful spaces for many activities: play, recreation, picnicking, walking, socialising. The residents of all three cities surveyed emphasised the role of a well-maintained lawn as a safe space for children and adults. In addition, the researchers found that people mostly bike or walk along the lawns, but do not necessarily physically walk on them. Many residential settlements were surrounded by well maintained unused lawns. Alternative lawns such as flower meadows were appreciated by residents and administrators, but there was little knowledge about them. [Eriksson et al.2016]
In countries with much higher annual precipitation than Poland, such as the United Kingdom, the initiatives are developing rapidly to reverse the trend in popularity of traditional lawns. Awareness among ordinary citizens is stimulated by enthusiasts such as Richard Scott1, who coordinates the project “A Tale of Two Cities”. The project implemented in Liverpool and Manchester is about creating meadows in blocks of flats, along the streets and bypasses, in parks and in the city centre (Manchester's Princess Park Road, along Liverpool's transport corridors, Everton park in Liverpool, Hulme and Alexandra park in Manchester) with the involvement of local residents. In total, the space devoted to meadows covers an area of 10ha. The aim of the project is to redefine the existing vision of flower planting, to change people's perception of meadow spaces in the city and to inspire others with the project.
Another example of a country, where a flower meadow in the centre of the city does not surprise anyone is Switzerland. The sight of blossoming chamomiles and cornflowers and other flowers that spread among the taller grasses between lanes of busy streets is not unusual in Zurich. The same happens in many other Western European cities.
Flower meadows are an alternative to lawns as spaces that are much more sustainable, less energy intensive and species rich. However, the design and implementation of lawns as the dominant landscape type in urban areas has greatly influenced the way people think. Flower meadows, especially when composed of native species, are not very appreciated. Some see them as neglected and even horrible places. Most professionals understand the problem of limited biodiversity in the case of lawn, but cultural pressures from the media and ordinary people lead to the creation and maintenance of exactly this type of spaces rather than wild landscapes.
In Poland, you can also observe more and more numerous initiatives of planting flower meadows in green areas, organised, among others, by Fundacja Łąka (the Meadow Foundation) in Fort Bema or Jazdów Residential Settlement.1 However, the sight of wild flowers in Polish cities is not yet something obvious. The modern technologies of creating green roofs give the possibility of implementing flower meadows in the form of ready-made mats. Their cost is not much higher than the construction of a traditional roof. This proves that everything depends on the awareness and attitude of the designer and investor. It is therefore necessary to talk more and more about the role of meadow groupings in the city and the possibilities of their implementation.
