**5. Conclusions**

The analysis shows that the town squares in the towns studied represent low or medium levels of attractiveness, if seen from the perspective described in this study. This means that the attributes of urban public spaces have been poorly developed. The most attractive squares were the main squares of the largest towns, which regained municipal rights the earliest (Daleszyce, Łagów, and Stopnica). Those towns were able to use the financial means they received for the revitalisation of their squares, and their relatively large population enhanced the functional development of public spaces. Their weakness is in the shortage of green areas, resulting from common revitalisation trends, such as transforming squares from green to paved areas.

The town squares of the settlement units that were granted municipal rights over the last two to three years are usually small in area, and poorly equipped with small architectural elements or places where the inhabitants can meet. Their characteristic features include large green areas, weak functional diversification, and low buildings along the square frontage. These town squares are green decorations in the towns rather than meeting places and local event venues. The small population potential, the ageing population, many years of neglect of the housing substance, and limited interpersonal relations have caused the poor functional development of these squares and the disappearance of generally accepted aesthetic models. These towns do not meet the basic criteria of urbanity (a small population) and will not be able to develop a public space with the features described in the literature review.

In our evaluation, the lowest-rated square was the town square in Nowa Słupia. All of the elements of spatial order differed from the other destinations. It is a space devoid of public space attributes. The town square is a former marketplace, which gradually turned into a carpark, along with the development of tourist functions. For such a square to gain a basic function as a public square, it needs a complete transformation.

In transforming public squares, it is important to note that a public space must be designed to answer the inhabitants' needs and should reference the history and identity of the town. Revitalised town squares may not look the same in all small towns.

The considerations presented concern settlement units that functioned as villages several years ago. Gaining municipal rights in the 21st century created new challenges, both for the inhabitants and the local authorities. One such challenge is the creation of friendly public spaces that represent the town and is a place for social relations.

Based on the analysis of individual elements of the spatial order of town squares in new small towns, the following can be concluded:


Koprzywnica and Opatowiec), the green order of the central squares (natural green complexes) was highly rated, whereas their aesthetic order was rated poorly. The assessment of both orders in towns where central squares had been turned into carparks (e.g., Nowa Słupia) without natural greenery was rated poorly.

4. Creating a friendly public space (according to the requirements presented in the introduction) in small new towns, especially those situated peripherally in agricultural areas, requires time, financial means, vision, and engagemen<sup>t</sup> on the part of the local authorities, non-governmental organisations, and the inhabitants.

The research presented here is the first stage in the evaluation of the attractiveness of town squares in new small towns in Swi ˛ ´ etokrzyskie province. This attractiveness was evaluated from the researchers' point of view. The next stage should include evaluations of these public spaces from the users' perspectives (considering their mental comfort, and physical and hydrothermal existence within public space) as well as the perspectives of formal planning and managemen<sup>t</sup> organisations (local authorities and politicians). This will make it possible to compare the technical results from this study with the governanceoriented aspects of planning and development for public squares using a technical approach with the opinions of public space users.

The material presented in this article can be used for comparisons by other researchers and practitioners who deal with similar issues. The results of this study may be applicable to small towns in other countries of Central and Eastern Europe that used to belong to the Eastern Block and had similar conditions of socioeconomic development.

**Author Contributions:** Conceptualisation, W.K. methodology, W.K.; software, W.K. and M.M.; validation, W.K. and M.M.; formal analysis, W.K.; investigation, W.K.; resources, W.K. and M.M.; writing W.K.; visualisation, W.K. and M.M.; supervision, W.K.; funding acquisition, W.K. and M.M. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This research was funded by Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, Poland.

**Institutional Review Board Statement:** Not applicable.

**Informed Consent Statement:** Not applicable.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.
