Quality of public spaces is one of the crucial themes of contemporary architecture and urban design also because its significance is evident not only to the architects. Even in the era of strong individualism, public spaces pertain to the whole of a community and jointly form its identity. Therefore, it is reasonable to pay attention to their aesthetic nature on a general level. This paper aims to provide an intelligible ground for a creative grasping of the rural character of environment based on two criteria: 1) the relationship of figure and ground, 2) the level of urban character. These criteria apply both to remote territories as well as to fragments of former villages engulfed in metropolitan areas. It is based on the interpretation of selected features of rural environment which are generally considered valuable by architects.