Bohumil Frantál

LOCATION MATTERS! EXPLORING BROWNFIELDS REGENERATION IN A SPATIAL CONTEXT (A CASE STUDY OF THE SOUTH MORAVIAN REGION, CZECH REPUBLIC)

Abstract In this paper the authors attempt to answer the question of which location and site-specific factors have a decisive influence on the successful regeneration of brownfields. Using data from the South Moravian Region (Czech Republic), we analyze the spatial and functional distribution of brownfields, and test the correlation between the development potential of municipalities and the distribution of the brownfields that have already been regenerated. We then compare the structure and characteristics of existing and regenerated brownfields to identify significant drivers and barriers in the regeneration process. The findings indicate that regenerated brownfields are more likely located in municipalities with a higher local development potential (represented by the rate of local business activities, spatial peripherality - proximity to the regional centre and the main road network, and the quality of local infrastructure). It is also demonstrated that the large size of brownfields, their previous industrial use and the existence of contamination are not determinative barriers for regeneration if the brownfields are located in attractive areas and their ownership relations are not complicated. Shrnutí Článek se snaží odpovědět na otázku, které lokalizační a specifické faktory mají rozhodující vliv na úspěšnou regeneraci brownfields. S využitím dat za Jihomoravský kraj, autoři analyzují prostorovou a funkční distribuci brownfields, testují souvislost mezi rozvojovým potenciálem obcí a rozmístěním již regenerovaných brownfields a porovnávají strukturu a charakteristiky existujících a regenerovaných brownfields, aby identifikovali signifikantní katalyzátory a bariéry procesu regenerace. Výsledky ukazují, že regenerované brownfields se mnohem častěji nachází v obcích s vyšším rozvojovým potenciálem, který je reprezentován zejména mírou lokální podnikatelské aktivity, periférností (blízkostí k regionálními centru a napojením na hlavní silniční síť) a kvalitou lokální infrastruktury. Také se potvrdilo, že velikost brownfileds, jejich předchozí industriální využití a existence kontaminace nepředstavují rozhodující bariéry, pokud se nachází v atraktivní lokalitě a nemají komplikované vlastnické vztahy

Have Local Government and Public Expectations of Wind Energy Project Benefits Been Met? Implications for Repowering Schemes

Abstract Replacing existing wind turbines with new and higher capacity turbines (‘repowering’) is to become a major challenge for planners within the next decade. While the benefits of repowering are evident, it cannot be assumed that the process will proceed automatically and without problems. The acceptance of future developments will be significantly affected by whether expectations of benefits from previous projects have been met, and whether perceived advantages of existing wind farms have outweighed their disadvantages. Therefore, it is important to explore how existing wind farms and their impacts on local development and well-being are assessed. This paper presents the results of a survey with local governments and inhabitants of municipalities in the Czech Republic where wind turbines have been implemented and are in operation. The findings prove that perceived positive effects dominate over negative impacts and that a majority of local authorities and inhabitants are willing to support further development in their backyards. A disruption to local landscape was detected as the main factor behind opposition. However, the significance of visual impact proved to be outweighed by subjective appraisal of economic benefits which is spatially and socially structured. The conclusion presents some implications for designing repowering schemes based on the research.

NEW TRENDS AND CHALLENGES FOR ENERGY GEOGRAPHIES: INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE

In 1961, the Canadian geographer John D. Chapman recognized the rapid growth in demand for inanimate energy and the role geographers could be playing in explaining its patterns and importance in the growing world economy (Chapman, 1961). Fifty years later, Karl Zimmerer (2011) introduced a Special Issue of the Annals of the Association of American Geographers by noting that not only had Chapman’s prediction come true but that geographers were studying even a wider spectrum of energy challenges than Chapman could ever have imagined (see e.g. Dorian et al., 2006; Florini, Sovaccol, 2009). Many of those energy challenges were underscored at last year’s G20 summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Particular attention was paid to four concerns considered as crucial for global energy (OECD, 2013): phasing out fossil fuel subsidies (which encourage wasteful consumption, disproportionately benefit wealthier countries and sectors, and distort energy markets); price volatility (understanding and reducing temporal fluctuations and regional differences in commodity prices); market transparency (a necessity for accurate and timely energy data); and – last but not least – options of mitigating climate change (as the source of two-thirds of global greenhouse-gas emissions, the energy sector is crucial for achieving any climate change goals).By 2035, the world is projected to consume one-third more energy than today, while electricity demand should increase even by more than two-thirds (IEA, 2013). The centre of gravity of global energy demand will move decisively towards emerging economies such as China, India or Brazil, which should account for more than 90% of net energy demand growth. At the same time, however, it is estimated there will still be one billion people without access to electricity and 2.7 billion without access to clean cooking fuels in 2035, mostly in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa (ibid.). The current global energy market is characterized by rising differences in regional energy prices (depending on the availability of domestic resources and regional position within international energy flows), which have led to major shifts in energy and overall trade balances, as well as to energy expenditures taking a growing share of household income (IEA, 2013). The current political crisis in Ukraine and Russia´s chess operations with the supply of natural gas, have again emphasized the role of energy as an effective tool to influence international relations and maintaining political influence.During the last two decades, environmental and security concerns have led to a rapid and far-flung development of renewable energies. Modern wind power development, for example, now is found in over 100 countries, and solar power deployment is – in one form or another – in many more. Reaping the benefits of renewable sources has become a global ambition for several reasons, ranging from anxieties about climate change and energy security to the dangers of the atom. Indeed, the generous feed-in tariffs that Germany used to stimulate renewable energy development have been so effective that Chancellor Merkel was able to renounce Germany’s nuclear program after the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011 (The Economist, 2011). Nonetheless, renewable energy development has been uneven around the world. Despite rapid and substantial growth in countries such as China, Germany, Spain and the United States, it still represents but a small amount of generation in most countries. For this reason, governments still need to consider other options, including cleaner use of fossil fuels, nuclear power, and new technologies such as shale gas fracking.All energy sources are characterized by potentially negative impacts, direct or indirect, manifesting themselves at different spatio-temporal scales. The economic costs of resources and the reliability of their supply are no longer the only criteria shaping political decisions and public opinions. Rather, perceptions of energy landscapes from renewable energy resources can be significant factors affecting: (1) national energy policies and their support by the general public (Leiserowitz et al., 2013); (2) acceptance of new energy facilities by local communities (Frantal, Kucera, 2009; Frantal, 2014; Pasqualetti, 2011a; Pasqualetti, 2011b; Soland et al., 2013, etc.); and even (3) customer loyalty in liberalized residential energy markets (Hartmann, Ibanez, 2007).The concept of what we call the “energy landscape” is one of the most intriging, important and challenging themes of the new geography of energy. Energy landscape is a term that has been commonly used for decades in physics and organic chemistry. In recent years, however, it has acquired a new meaning in the field of geography and landscape ecology (Pasqualetti, 2012). An energy landscape is a landscape whose images and functions (be they natural, productive, residential, recreational, cultural, etc.) have been significantly affected by energy development. Traditional energy landscapes include mines, canals, refineries and power plants, transmission lines, well fields and waste disposal sites, but more recently they have come to include expansive, whirling wind turbines and even the glare of solar central receivers in places like Ivanpah Dry Lake California (e.g. Nadai, Van der Horst, 2010; Zimmerman, 2014). In the broadest context, the range of what can be called an energy landscape is particularly expansive, though it may be used in the context of all branches of energy production and consumption with a geographic expression.Projects like wind farms, solar power plants, the cultivation of energy crops, biogas stations and other innovative technologies, have become effective means of realizing officially declared state-subsidized support for clean and sustainable energy. These projects, as well, can be objects of entrepreneurial interest among investors and developers, a potential source of income for communities involved (often located in less-favoured rural areas), and an alternative type of land use and source of profit for

A CURSE OF COAL? EXPLORING UNINTENDED REGIONAL CONSEQUENCES OF COAL ENERGY IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

Abstract Focusing on coal energy from a geographical perspective, the unintended regional consequences of coal mining and combustion in the Czech Republic are discussed and analysed in terms of the environmental injustice and resource curse theories. The explorative case study attempts to identify significant associations between the spatially uneven distribution of coal power plants and the environmental and socioeconomic characteristics and development trends of affected areas. The findings indicate that the coal industries have contributed to slightly above average incomes and pensions, and have provided households with some technical services such as district heating. However, these positive effects have come at high environmental and health costs paid by the local populations. Above average rates of unemployment, homelessness and crime indicate that the benefits have been unevenly distributed economically. A higher proportion of uneducated people and ethnic minorities in affected districts suggest that coal energy is environmentally unjust.

Actor networks and the construction of applicable knowledge: the case of the Timbre Brownfield Prioritization Tool

This article deals with experiences acquired during the process of developing the Timbre Brownfield Prioritization Tool (TBPT). Developing a decision support tool that takes into account the expectations and experiences of its potential users is similar to creating applicable knowledge by the joint action of scientists and heterogeneous actors. Actor network theory is used to explore the construction of this form of applicable knowledge as a process of actor network creation. Following the French sociologist Callon, networks are seen to be initiated and carried out by a group of scientists (tool developers) via four moments of translation, called problematization, interessement, enrolment and mobilization. Each step in the construction of the TBPT—from the initial research question to the final model—can be linked in retrospect to changing configurations of actor networks. Based on the experiences of the tool developers in the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany and Romania, we illustrate how these configurations varied across space and time. This contribution emphasizes the ability to correlate gains in knowledge with the more visible changes in the scope of actor networks in order to highlight achievements but also limitations in acquiring applicable knowledge.

Distance matters. Assessing socioeconomic impacts of the Dukovany nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic: Local perceptions and statistical evidence

Abstract The effect of geographical distance on the extent of socioeconomic impacts of the Dukovany nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic is assessed by combining two different research approaches. First, we survey how people living in municipalities in the vicinity of the power plant perceive impacts on their personal quality of life. Second, we explore the effects of the power plant on regional development by analysing long-term statistical data about the unemployment rate, the share of workers in the energy sector and overall job opportunities in the respective municipalities. The results indicate that the power plant has had significant positive impacts on surrounding communities both as perceived by residents and as evidenced by the statistical data. The level of impacts is, however, significantly influenced by the spatial and social distances of communities and individuals from the power plant. The perception of positive impacts correlates with geographical proximity to the power plant, while the hypothetical distance where positive effects on the quality of life are no longer perceived was estimated at about 15 km. Positive effects are also more likely to be reported by highly educated, young and middle-aged and economically active persons, whose work is connected to the power plant.

The geography of urban agriculture: New trends and challenges

Abstract In the article, which is a theoretical and conceptual introduction for the Special Issue of Moravian Geographical Reports on ‘New trends and challenges of urban agriculture in the context of Europe’, the authors resume and review diverging issues of urban agriculture, exploring and discussing them from a geographical perspective and in a wider context of the transformation of urban and rural spaces, urban regeneration and renewal, agricultural restructuring, multifunctionality, ecosystem services, land-use conflicts and social responsibility. After the introduction that depicts a changing role of agriculture in the context of urban and rural transformations, the current research on urban agriculture in Europe is summarised and reviewed. Then the main trends and concepts of growing and expanding urban agriculture are presented and discussed with a special emphasis on the challenges these pose to geographers.

Brownfields: A Geographical Perspective

The issues of remediation, regeneration and redevelopment of underused, abandoned, derelict and often contaminated lands and premises (so-called “brownfields”) have recently become one of the greatest challenges for municipal planners and developers. Brownfields are results of economic restructuring processes in many countries; they are perceived as potential hazards to human health and the environment, burdens degrading the value of surrounding properties, barriers to local development and contributors to urban sprawl, grounds for neighbourhood crime and other illegal activities, etc. (see e.g. Greenberg et al., 2000; Susilawati, Kelsey, 2012).

The importance of on-site evaluation for placing renewable energy in the landscape: A case study of the Búrfell wind farm (Iceland)

Abstract Using a case study of the Búrfell wind farm project, a large wind farm proposed in the Central Highlands of Iceland, the authors attempt to provide new insights into the factors shaping subjective landscape perceptions and attitudes to renewable energy developments, and into alternative methods that may be used for their assessment. The research was based on an on-site visit and actual experience of the place, investigated using a combination of mental mapping, the technique of the semantic differential and a questionnaire survey. The results show that participants visiting a landscape and using all sensory organs in combination with mental mapping, can reveal more important information than using only ‘laboratory’ methods with static photographs. The results suggest that the perception of landscape is highly subjective. Those perceiving the landscape as more open, homogenous, industrial, unfamiliar and resilient also consider it more compatible with wind turbines. The perception of the landscape’s compatibility with wind turbines proved to be a dominant factor shaping attitudes towards the project. The acceptance of wind turbines is not, however, inconsistent with the perception of landscape as beautiful, wild and unique. Participants from more densely populated countries and countries with a developed wind energy industry were more tolerant of wind turbines in the Icelandic landscape.

Časoprostorové modely nákupního chování české populace

Ceský maloobchod prochazi obdobim největsich změn v cele sve historii. Na kapacitni i kvalitativni nedostatecnost odvětvi z konce 80. let minuleho stoleti navazala v prvni polovině let devadesatých etapa atomizace, podpořena malou privatizaci, kdy se pocet maloobchodnich jednotek za deset let zvýsil dvojnasobně na teměř 100 tisic. Od 2. poloviny 90. let zacaly ve větsi miře pronikat na tuzemský trh zahranicni řetězce a ceský maloobchod se velmi rychle internacionalizoval. Vstup zahranicniho kapitalu byl dominantni, domaci subjekty nebyly realně konkurenceschopne. Pokracovala transformace maloobchodu, jehož sitova struktura se opirala o stale větsi pocet velkoplosných maloobchodnich jednotek (super a hypermarkety, diskonty), objevila se prvni nakupni centra. Předložena publikace nabizi ctenařům hlavni výsledky projektu „Casoprostorova organizace dennich urbannich systemů: analýza a hodnoceni vybraných procesů“. Denni rytmus obyvatel zde neni primarně vazan na pohyb za praci, ale je modifikovan dojižďkou za službami a specificky za maloobchodem, resp. je dotvařen novými formami nakupniho chovani. V prvni casti textu je představen teoretický zaklad nakupniho chovani jako socialně-prostoroveho fenomenu, dale navazuje transformace ceskeho maloobchodu a fenomen nakupnich center. Druha cast prace je založena na výsledcich rozsahlých setřeni v modelových aglomeracich Brna a Olomouce.