Nowadays, linkage of landscape ecology with landscape aesthetics becomes very topical, especially when people move from rural areas to big towns and cities. Landscape ecological planning becomes more important in terms of sustainable environment. Landscape assessment and investigation needs a multidisciplinary approach. The aim of the study was to evaluate landscape ecological aesthetics in urban area. The selected city for study was Jelgava – city with a special characteristic landscape of Zemgale plains and wide green spaces in the city centre. Jelgava is one of the examples of complex urban system with ecological environment. This research presents landscape evaluation of Jelgava using ecological aesthetics assessment method. Territory of Jelgava was divided in groups of research areas: green spaces, residential areas and other territories. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used in the research. The methods applied in this research describe the present situation of the city. Landscape inventory, biotope structure analysis and evaluation of landscape ecological aesthetical qualities give a general overview of the problems and opportunities of the examined city. Research study was managed in autumn and winter 2011. The results show the need for sorting the cityscape and use of ecological principles in further urban planning. Green areas of Jelgava are ecological and aesthetical valuable but multi-storey residential areas have low quality of landscape ecological aesthetics.

In planning active leisure areas, the main emphasis is placed on the elements used in the infrastructure of childrenʼs playgrounds and recreational sports areas, their functionality, and compliance with various safety requirements in the public outdoor space. However, there are no uniform requirements for the aesthetics of the elements or the visually coherent inclusion of such infrastructure in the surrounding environment and existing infrastructure. The study aims to evaluate the impact of the infrastructure of active leisure areas on the visual quality of the public outdoor space and possible improvements by choosing alternative elements with a different visual design but similar functionality and to distinguish the main characteristic features for determining the visual quality of elements and characterize the impact on the surrounding environment. The research uses the descriptive or monographic method to collect and analyse the elements and functionality included in the surveyed territories in the summer and autumn of 2022, evaluating the aesthetic quality of the elements in active leisure areas in the public outdoor space of Riga and Tallinn. The studyʼs main results reflected several problems related to integrating active recreation areas into the surrounding environment. They highlighted issues related to the quality of the existing environment, which can be described as insufficient or low and which characterizes the planned development as coming into conflict with the existing environmentʼs aesthetic qualities or their absence.