Little attention is paid to the inhabitants' views of places where brownfields are localized. If the residents attract some attention in this matter, it is most often at global level, and no influence of responders' characteristics or of... more
Little attention is paid to the inhabitants' views of places where brownfields are localized. If the residents attract some attention in this matter, it is most often at global level, and no influence of responders' characteristics or of place of questioning on the perception of problems of brownfields is examined in more detail. However, there is a consensus among researchers that these variables have an immediate effect on perception. That is why we set the objective to assess the impact of inhabitants' characteristics and of the place of residence on the structure of preferences for various types of brownfields regeneration. Respondents were questioned in three zones (city center, vicinity of the city and the peripheral surroundings of the city) of two cities (497 respondents in Karviná and 833 respondents in České Budějovice, both Czech Republic). Socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents were pursued and respondents commented on the extent of agreement with the use of existing brownfields in three defined zones of cities. The impact of origin of the resident (geographic characteristics) and of the character of the respondent (soci-economic characteristics) on a structure in preferences was studied sequentially by means of three methods of multidimensional data analysis (PCA, RDA, and Variation Partitioning). All methods led us to reveal a structure of four factors of preferences for regeneration: green/sport, housing/shopping, industry, and entertainment. Following the RDA the statistically significant variables to influence the structure of answers are both geographical variables-city, zone of a city-and three socioeconomic variables-gender, age, and education. Preference for commercial-residential use of brownfields has a distinctive centre-periphery distribution within the city. The preferences of the revitalization through the reactivation of the industry are given primarily by the particular city, and the impact of both types of variables (characteristics of the respondent and the place of questioning) is significant, however the shared explainable variation is negligible (geographic variables explain 51.6% and characteristics of respondents 46.6%).
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Facilities for generating renewable energy form important elements in the rural landscape of the Czech Republic. The distribution of these facilities is highly uneven due to various natural and socioeconomic factors. In our paper, we are... more
Facilities for generating renewable energy form important elements in the rural landscape of the Czech Republic. The distribution of these facilities is highly uneven due to various natural and socioeconomic factors. In our paper, we are focusing our attention on one of the important facilities for the generation of renewable energy in the Czech Republic; anaerobic digestion (AD) plants. In 2016, more than five hundred AD plants could be found in the country with a total installed capacity of 360 MW. By means of analyses of data on location of individual AD plants, quality of soils, size of agricultural farms (in which majority of AD plants is incorporated) we found that agricultural AD plants in the Czech Republic tend to concentrate in areas with larger agricultural farms and also in areas with average and slightly below average conditions for agricultural activities. Core areas where agricultural AD plants are the most densely located were also identified. In these areas, large farms with AD plants tend to crowd out smaller farms. Pressure to grow maize for ADs significantly competes here with growing of other agricultural crops for food. This finding is in strong contradiction with the official national agricultural policy where support for small farms is systematically emphasized. Core areas with AD plants make a belt that mostly covers sub-mountainous central parts of the Czech Republic where traditional agricultural plants are now significantly being displaced by maize to feed AD plants.
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Brownfields constitute a substantial portion of the land area in post-industrial cities. Many brownfields have been regenerated for various uses, addressing a range of extant problems in urban areas. However, re-use plans for current... more
Brownfields constitute a substantial portion of the land area in post-industrial cities. Many brownfields have been regenerated for various uses, addressing a range of extant problems in urban areas. However, re-use plans for current brownfields are driven by market demand and public sector prioritization and do not always meet the requirements of local residents and visitors. In this paper, we investigate how a range of brownfields re-use options are perceived by residents and visitors to the Landek area in the city of Ostrava (Czech Republic). By analysing the results of the questionnaire survey (n=180) we found that future brownfields uses such as culture/sport and children´s park are the most popular options. We found that gender was a statistically significant predictor of preferred reuse options. Women are strong supporters of the above-mentioned re-use options, while men tend to favour re-use options which promote industry. Remarkably, respondents, in general, lacked concrete ideas concerning alternative re-use options of brownfields, suggesting that professional urban planners can be of assistance in the planning of the future use of brownfield sites.
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Residents’ preferences are one of the factors in deciding how brownfields should be revitalized. We compare the views of residents in a city with many brownfields (Karviná) with those in a city with only few brownfields (České... more
Residents’ preferences are one of the factors in deciding how brownfields should be revitalized. We compare the views of residents in a city with many brownfields (Karviná) with those in a city with only few brownfields (České Budějovice). We assessed the preferences of residents for four global regeneration alternatives (refurbishment, demolition, open space, (re)development) in three different areas of a city (city centre, inner city, city outskirts). A one percent population sample of two post-socialistic cities in the Czech Republic, was used for the comparison. Positive preferences towards brownfield regeneration
were confirmed. We found spatial differences in preferences between refurbishment and demolition of brownfields in each city area: demolition was preferred for inner city brownfields whereas refurbishment was preferred in the city centre and outskirts. Differences
were also identified between the two cities: residents of the brownfield rich city preferred demolition, whereas residents of the city with few brownfields preferred refurbishment. Creating new public open space, for residents′ recreation, was given a lower importance within the city centre and a higher significance in outskirts. With the support of a combined ANOVA model, significant differences in residents’ preferences were found for distinct types of regeneration with regards to the cities’ character, the location of brownfields within the city and residents′ proximity.
were confirmed. We found spatial differences in preferences between refurbishment and demolition of brownfields in each city area: demolition was preferred for inner city brownfields whereas refurbishment was preferred in the city centre and outskirts. Differences
were also identified between the two cities: residents of the brownfield rich city preferred demolition, whereas residents of the city with few brownfields preferred refurbishment. Creating new public open space, for residents′ recreation, was given a lower importance within the city centre and a higher significance in outskirts. With the support of a combined ANOVA model, significant differences in residents’ preferences were found for distinct types of regeneration with regards to the cities’ character, the location of brownfields within the city and residents′ proximity.
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The issue of brownfield regeneration is closely connected to balanced and sustainable development of regions, towns, and cities as it endeavors to reuse buildings and sites that have already lost their original use, but at the same time... more
The issue of brownfield regeneration is closely connected to balanced and sustainable development of regions, towns, and cities as it endeavors to reuse buildings and sites that have already lost their original use, but at the same time offers a possibility to generate new beneficial activities for the whole society that exceed just material or physical changes of the brownfield sites. The regeneration of every brownfield is usually a highly site-specific issue and individual and unique impacts of regeneration on the particular locality are obvious. Yet, several patterns in sets of non-regenerated brownfields can be identified. By finding and defining such patterns, a framework of indicators to facilitate brownfield regeneration can be created and the importance and strength of a particular indicator can be defined. By means of the analyses, we are able to recommend various relevant and most suitable approaches with regards to brownfield regeneration in individual regions. We have employed Factor Analysis (FA) for the identification of key factors of brownfield regeneration. In particular, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to conduct analyses of 1304 non-regenerated brownfields located in seven regions of the Czech Republic (NUTS 3 level). Data were obtained from publicly available brownfield databases of individual regional administrations. By means of Factor Analysis, it was ascertained that the most frequent factor that is typical for the surveyed non-regenerated brownfields is the ownership. The second most frequent factor is the size of the brownfields. As the third factor according to importance, the distance between the location of the individual brownfield and the municipality of extended powers (the so-called small district) was identified. By taking into account the results of the conducted analyses, brownfield regeneration policies of individual regions might be adapted to be more suitably targeted.
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The development of renewable energy sources has been primarily justified on the ground of environmental policies and energy security, but new jobs opportunities and establishment of new economy sectors may be equally important co-benefits... more
The development of renewable energy sources has been primarily justified on the ground of environmental policies and energy security, but new jobs opportunities and establishment of new economy sectors may be equally important co-benefits from investments in this sector. The main goal of this paper is to assess the employment benefits of investments in renewable energy in the Czech Republic. We examine the level and rate of the development of the renewable energy sector in the Czech Republic in terms of ('green') job creation for the period 2008 – 2013, in comparison to data from other EU countries, including Germany as a leading early investor in renewables. Whilst the deployment of renewable energy in the Czech Republic has succeeded to create a significant number of jobs (more than 20 000 employees in 2010), our analysis illustrates a strong dependency of job creation on the continuation of financial incentives. We also find that biomass and waste energy processing offer the highest employment per MWh, which benefits employment in (economically fragile) rural areas. We discuss the question of competitiveness of a country that was not amongst the early adopters of renewables, arguing that the technical skills of the labour force in the Czech Republic provide a potential for more sustained investments in the sector. 2
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The paper focuses on spatial analyses of sugar beet industry brownfields in the Czech Republic. In the first part of the paper history of sugar beet industry on the area of the Czech Republic is briefly presented, then links between... more
The paper focuses on spatial analyses of sugar beet industry brownfields in the Czech Republic. In the first part of the paper history of sugar beet industry on the area of the Czech Republic is briefly presented, then links between location of these sites and its transport potential are discussed. Benefits of brownfields regeneration for regional development are also evaluated. In the empirical part of the paper 49 brownfield sites within the Czech Republic, where the sugar beet industry was abandoned during the transition period after 1989, are evaluated and classified based on field research and aerial picture analyses. Three examples of reuse of former sugar beet factories are finally presented. It was found that development potential of studied sites is highly depended on their geographical location and some inspiration might be derived from presented examples. More targeted supportive policy in the Czech Republic to support regeneration of brownfields is needed. In the concluding part of the paper further development possibilities of sugar beet industry brown-fields and their railway connection are considered. Introduction The sugar beet industry in the Czech Republic has been experiencing a dramatic period full of changes since the societal turn in 1989, which heavily affected extent and structure of the food industry and related agricultural production in the country. These changes can be in case of sugar beet industry characterised by significant shifts in ownership structure of land and sugar beet factories, their closures, by consequent changes in distribution channels of sugar, by a massive decrease in sugar beet sowing areas, and by strong concentration of sugar beet growing in the most suitable natural conditions with a consequent increase in sugar beet yields. Currently there operate in the Czech Republic just seven sugar factories, quarter-century ago it was more than fifty, one and half century ago it was almost four hundred. Dozens of sugar factories have been closed and abandoned in the course of the last one and a half century during cyclical ups and downs of the sugar beet industry in the Czech lands. After nationalisation of whole sector at the early times of the communist era after the end of World War II and implementation of planned economy with huge state interventions development was followed in the 1970s by a restructuring of the industry by means of grouping of sugar beet factories into large state companies, and later by the effects of the political and economic changes of early 1990s, causing the return of the market economy, renewal of
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The paper focuses on spatial analyses of sugar beet industry brownfields in the Czech Republic. In the first part of the paper history of sugar beet industry on the area of the Czech Republic is briefly presented, then links between... more
The paper focuses on spatial analyses of sugar beet industry brownfields in the Czech Republic. In the first part of the paper history of sugar beet industry on the area of the Czech Republic is briefly presented, then links between location of these sites and its transport potential are discussed. Benefits of brownfields regeneration for regional development are also evaluated. In the empirical part of the paper 49 brownfield sites within the Czech Republic, where the sugar beet industry was abandoned during the transition period after 1989, are evaluated and classified based on field research and aerial picture analyses. Three examples of reuse of former sugar beet factories are finally presented. It was found that development potential of studied sites is highly depended on their geographical location and some inspiration might be derived from presented examples. More targeted supportive policy in the Czech Republic to support regeneration of brownfields is needed. In the concluding part of the paper further development possibilities of sugar beet industry brown-fields and their railway connection are considered. Introduction The sugar beet industry in the Czech Republic has been experiencing a dramatic period full of changes since the societal turn in 1989, which heavily affected extent and structure of the food industry and related agricultural production in the country. These changes can be in case of sugar beet industry characterised by significant shifts in ownership structure of land and sugar beet factories, their closures, by consequent changes in distribution channels of sugar, by a massive decrease in sugar beet sowing areas, and by strong concentration of sugar beet growing in the most suitable natural conditions with a consequent increase in sugar beet yields. Currently there operate in the Czech Republic just seven sugar factories, quarter-century ago it was more than fifty, one and half century ago it was almost four hundred. Dozens of sugar factories have been closed and abandoned in the course of the last one and a half century during cyclical ups and downs of the sugar beet industry in the Czech lands. After nationalisation of whole sector at the early times of the communist era after the end of World War II and implementation of planned economy with huge state interventions development was followed in the 1970s by a restructuring of the industry by means of grouping of sugar beet factories into large state companies, and later by the effects of the political and economic changes of early 1990s, causing the return of the market economy, renewal of
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The paper focuses in its first part on theoretical aspects and preconditions of the acceptance of the facilities for generating renewable energy with an emphasis on rural areas. Benefits and barriers of the relation between the rural... more
The paper focuses in its first part on theoretical aspects and preconditions of the acceptance of the facilities for generating renewable energy with an emphasis on rural areas. Benefits and barriers of the relation between the rural development and renewable energies in conditions of the Czech Republic are discussed. By means of two questionnaire surveys (2013, 2015) the acceptance of the local anaerobic digestion (AD) plant by its local population was researched in the second part of the paper. It was found out that the level of the acceptance of projects for generation of renewable energy by local population varies in time, and a strong attention has to be devoted not only to planning and construction of the AD plant, but also to the operation of this facility so that undesirable impacts on quality of life of local population are minimized.
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The paper focuses in its first part on theoretical aspects and preconditions of the acceptance of the facilities for generating renewable energy with an emphasis on rural areas. Benefits and barriers of the relation between the rural... more
The paper focuses in its first part on theoretical aspects and preconditions of the acceptance of the facilities for generating renewable energy with an emphasis on rural areas. Benefits and barriers of the relation between the rural development and renewable energies in conditions of the Czech Republic are discussed. By means of two questionnaire surveys (2013, 2015) the acceptance of the local anaerobic digestion (AD) plant by its local population was researched in the second part of the paper. It was found out that the level of the acceptance of projects for generation of renewable energy by local population varies in time, and a strong attention has to be devoted not only to planning and construction of the AD plant, but also to the operation of this facility so that undesirable impacts on quality of life of local population are minimized.