Detailed Information on Publication Record

The issue of brownfields is currently a very significant factor affecting the sustainable development of the society and construction business themselves since unbuilt areas are ranked amongst the most important non-renewable sources. Despite of this undoubted significance of the topic, brownfields are hitherto not adequately supported by the Czech legislation. Due to this fact, there exists no uniform and consistent terminology and classification of this business in the Czech Republic; opinions and research approaches of various scientific and research teams are highly fragmented, and last but not least it makes education with respect to this topic of the expert community as well as general public very difficult. Currently, brownfields are discussed within land-use planning and laws and implementing Decrees (Act no. 183/2006 Coll., the Building Act, and its implementing Decree no. 500/2006 Coll.) only in general terms, and they can only be included in more general categories such as “areas for redevelopment and reuse” (brownfields intended for revitalization to the level of “environment close to nature” cannot be included), or in some cases there are very specific categories such as “pit-heap, dump, stock-pile, etc.” (future land for regeneration / redevelopment) or “old burdens and contaminated areas” (brownfields without burden and contamination cannot be included). Therefore, there is no need for consistent and good-quality land investigation using given methodology as it is the case for other topics such as development of environmental systems, environmental stability coefficient, landmarks or listed sites and buildings. Unless the concept of “brownfield“, or another relevant one-word term is introduced and the topic as a whole receives adequate support within the legislative framework of the Czech Republic, it will be very difficult to enforce regeneration / redevelopment of brownfields efficiently in practice and create comprehensive and long-term functional brownfield databases that would provide the relevant basis for selection of suitable capital investment sites in the specific territorial units to counterbalance “greenfield” capital projects.