Apartment blocks in the town of Kroměříž in the context of migration processes, by Jiří Novosák, Robert Scholaster, Oldřich Hájek and Pavel Bednář
The article comments on a variety of problems of apartment blocks, featuring the example of the town of Kroměříž. Based on evaluation of a non-public database of sale transactions in the housing market, the authors point out that intra-urban migration is a very significant element in sale transactions. The morphogenetic zone of apartment blocks is an important migrant destination within these transactions. The article shows that apartment blocks are a target destination for migrants from all other morphogenetic zones of the town as well as locations outside. Also, the evaluation evokes reflections about a possible differentiation of the environments of apartment housing zones.
Agricultural brownfields in the Czech Republic, by Jan Skála, Radim Vácha, Jarmila Čechmánková and Viera Horváthová
In most cases, brownfields are related to urban environment, but consequences of the political and economic transformation of the Czech Republic have also caused the origination of abandoned areas in rural regions. Unused, originally agricultural areas represent the most frequent type of brownfields in the Czech Republic. Their origin goes back to general changes of the rural milieu in the last century. Based on several examples, the article discusses a variety of historical, geographical and environmental aspects of the existence of these locations on the territory of the Czech Republic. The aim of the article is to assess the current situation of agricultural brownfields and identify the main problems of their revitalization.
Metropolisation and polycentric development in Central Europe: Findings from the ESPON POLYCE project, by Karel Maier, Markéta Hugová and Irena Benešová
The POLYCE project (Metropolisation and Polycentric Development in Central Europe) became part of ESPON 2013’s second priority, named Targeted Analysis Based on User Demand. Initiated by the demand of the cities of Vienna (lead partner), Prague, Bratislava, Budapest and Ljubljana, the project was carried out from 2010 to 2012. Specialist partners in the project were the Vienna University of Technology (leading specialist partner), the University of Ljubljana, the Slovak University of Technology, the University of Szeged, the Czech Technical University and Charles University in Prague, the Luxembourg-based Centre for Populations, Poverty and Public Policy Studies, and the Polytechnic University of Milan.