WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM BROWNFIELD DATABASES? EXPLORING SPECIFICS OF THE LOCATION OF BROWNFIELDS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

The aim of this paper is to advance our understanding of brownfield locations in municipalities and cities situated in the Czech Republic. The data on brownfields was obtained from the National Brownfield Database which is coordinated by the CzechInvest Agency in the Czech Republic. The analysed period of the paper are the years 2018 and 2020. In 2018, 460 brownfields were analysed with an area of 2,334.65 hectares and in 2020 there were 572 abandoned buildings and sites with a total area of 2,320.09 hectares. The data on brownfields are based on the regions of NUTS 3 level. Each brownfield was then divided according to its location, i.e. whether it is located in the centre, in the inner part, outer part or within the development area of the municipalities and cities of the given regions. Based on the obtained data, relative proportions within each region were calculated on the NUTS 3 level for the years 2018 and 2020. It was discovered that brownfields are mostly located in the outer parts of municipalities and cities in both analysed years (2018, 2020). Such finding may influence also the possibility of potential brownfield regeneration. Abandoned buildings and sites that are located in the centres or the inner part of municipalities and cities are generally better preconditioned for a potential regeneration and utilization compared to brownfields that are located in the outer parts or on the margins of the cadastral areas of municipalities and cities of the given country.