THE ANALYSIS OF CORRELATIONS BETWEEN LAND-USE CHANGES, SLOPE AND ACCESSIBILITY IN THE CLOSED GARDEN AREAS OF THE SETTLEMENTS OF THE PlLIS-VlSEGRAD MOUNTAINS

Abstract

The closed garden areas are present nationwide in Hungary related to the settlements. As
a kind ofbuffer area, their land use is characterized by a dynamic change. In terms oftheir
originalfunction, they were traditionallysmallgardens with vineyards,fruit, and vegetable
growing areas, but their land usegradually changed and differentiated as they approached
the time ofchange ofregime.
From the 1990s to the present, these areas have been affected by several social, economic,
natural factors, therefore they've lost all or part of their traditional agricultural
characteristics. They've undergone a significant change in function. With the expansion of
settlements towards agricultural areas, they became inland areas, or afforested, or began
the spread ofinvasive plants in the enclosedgarden areas.
The present research aims to answer the land-use changes ofthe closed garden areas in
connection with their location, their distancefrom the settlements, and their connection to
the settlements’ clear.
Based on the statistical analyzes it was confirmed that there is a correlation between the
above-mentioned parameters and the change in the land use ofthe closed garden areas.
The size weighted cross tabulation analysis revealed more significant correlations, which is
an automatic consequence of artificial element number increase. The slope category
influences the closedgarden transformation processes. Areas with a slope ofless than 12%
are more vulnerable, while closed gardens with a slope ofmore than 12% are more stable
sustaining their original land use.
Based on size weighted statistical calculations, it can be stated, that the closer the enclosed
garden is to the settlement core, the higher the proportion ofareas with medium and large
changes. While moving awayfrom the settlement, the proportion ofareas with little change
is clearly increasing.
The enclosedgarden areas bordering the interior parts, clearly show a greater tendency to
transform. However, enclosed gardens within and outside the agglomeration ofBudapest
do notshow a correlation with land-use change based on the statistical comparison.