Suchergebnisse

AbstractThis paper explores the implementation of grand spatial planning narratives such as the compact city and polycentricity in planning practice. The effects of overlapping scales on the application of spatial imaginaries in metropolitan space are examined. Using post‐socialist space, the research enriches the geographical context of metropolitan studies. On the basis of a spatial analysis of metropolitan form and centrality and a textual analysis of the relevant spatial plans of three Czech metropolitan areas, the key features in efforts of planning polycentric and compact metropolitan areas are identified as "Administrative blindness", "(De)centralization ambiguity", and "Reactive passivity". By identifying the limits of translating spatial visions into the practical language of statutory regional and land‐use plans, the paper contributes to the debate on the effectiveness of metropolitan planning based on the specific context of Central Europe.

AbstractSpontaneous regression of cysts of the cavum septi pellucidi (CSP) and cavum vergae (CV) is rare and little discussed. The authors present their case report of this phenomenon following a severe headache in a 23-year-old woman, in whom magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) had previously confirmed significant thinning of the left lateral cyst wall. We consider this finding to be a possible predisposing factor to rupture and the spontaneous regression of such cysts. In addition to the mechanism of cyst regression, the interrelated causes of their expansion and formation will be discussed.

Determining the durability of a reactor vessel requires a hygro-thermo-mechanical analysis of the vessel throughout its service life. Damage, prestress losses, distribution of heat and moisture and some other quantities are needed for a durability assessment. A coupled analysis was performed on a two-level model because of the huge demands on computer hardware. This paper deals with a hygro-thermo-mechanical analysis of a reactor vessel made of prestressed concrete with a steel inner liner. The reactor vessel is located in Temelín, Czech Republic.

The return of the local democracy to the military training areas raises a number of complex challenges even under the conditions of a democratic state. In the municipalities that were established in the Czech Republic on 1 January 2016 by a separation from the territory of the military training areas, a nondemocratic paternalist system has dominated for many decades at the local level, which in some cases was deepened by a presence of the foreign Soviet army. While other municipalities in the post-communist period after 1989 have undergone a complex development and have gradually responded to new challenges (e.g., the use of subsidy titles, intermunicipal cooperation), and, in the case of the settlements in the territory of the military training area districts, nondemocratic local paternalism was preserved until the end of 2015. In the first phase of their term, the elected representatives of the local government primarily focused on securing the basic functions of the municipality (issues of housing and basic amenities of the village—school facilities, shops), saving local sights as remnants of historical memory, and developing cooperation within different networks of actors on a general level (e.g., issues of tourism development, environmental protection).

AbstractReuse preferences for post‐agricultural brownfields on former socialist agricultural premises in CEE countries are likely to be diverse and may depend on communities' experiences. Our research question is to reveal, through a questionnaire survey of 774 respondents from 180 communities, the difference in reuse preferences among communities with different experiences: communities where former collective farm sites had been abandoned (leaving a post‐agricultural brownfield), those where such sites had remained in continuous agricultural use, and those where such sites had been abandoned and later remediated or reused. The responses from the three types of communities were compared using Kruskal–Wallis tests and the structure of preferences was analyzed by Non‐Metric Multidimensional Scaling. Communities with an existing post‐agricultural brownfield prefer housing and leisure activities, while communities with sites in continuous agricultural production prefer agrarian uses. Two main poles of choice were identified—productive and non‐productive uses. While productive uses are preferred by respondents from communities with continuous agricultural production, non‐productive uses are preferred by communities with former post‐agricultural brownfields. The presence of post‐agricultural brownfields within the community is an important factor in determining a community's preferences for its reuse. When agricultural sites are abandoned, communities' preferences for its reuse also change.

AbstractStructural change in the agricultural economy may result in the abandonment of agricultural buildings, creating rural brownfield sites. Since the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, post‐agricultural brownfields have become very common in Central and Eastern Europe. Our aim is to uncover and understand the reuse preferences for 16 reuse options, among 1275 survey respondents (local residents) from 272 rural communities with post‐agricultural brownfields in the Czech Republic. The influence of respondent status, the socioeconomic characteristics of those communities and environmental characteristics of communities were tested using redundancy analysis and variation partitioning. Three types of reuse were identified as most preferred among respondents: agricultural reuse, industrial reuse and reuse for housing, services and leisure time activities. We found strong and significant ties between the pattern of preferences for potential reuse options and demographic, community socioeconomic and environmental context variables. It can therefore be concluded that preferences for rural renewal tend to be constructed comprehensively and encompass social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability. In order to implement a vision that promotes sustainable rural development, we need to recognise that the preferences of rural residents are fundamentally shaped by the local environment and are therefore highly dependent on the place‐based circumstances.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) plants undoubtedly represent an integral and irreplaceable element in rural energy transition and sustainable waste management. In our study, we focus on an advanced understanding of the dynamics behind the changing perceptions of AD plants in host communities in Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. The surveyed AD plant case studies were selected to represent best-practice examples of AD plant operations in their countries. By means of a comparative survey in three host communities, we seek to learn more about the shift in perceptions of AD plants between their planning and operational phases. We find that, although our cases are considered best-practice examples of AD plant operations, their overall support in their communities dramatically dropped in the operational phase consequent to real-life experience with living in the neighbourhood of an AD plant. Additionally, our findings indicate that respondents who reported the most severe deterioration of AD plant perceptions were, surprisingly, those who had participated in the planning process more than other respondents. The most frequently mentioned type of participation in the planning phase was reported to be visits to the local administration office to inspect an AD plant's planning documentation. We argue that deteriorating perceptions of best-practice examples of AD plant operations negatively impact the further development and acceptance of the biogas sector in Eastern Europe. The element of acceptance by the locals of AD plant operations urgently requires reflection in the definition of best practices to inspire and upgrade both existing and planned biogas energy projects. ; Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness; State Research Agency of SpainSpanish Government; Regional Development Fund [CSO2017-86975-R, VEGA 1/0514/21] ; Vedecká Grantová Agentúra MŠVVaŠ SR a SAV, VEGA: 1/0514/21; European Regional Development Fund, ERDF: CSO2017-86975-R; Ministerio de Asuntos Económicos y Transformación Digital, Gobierno de ...