Report from the Slovak seminar in the frame of the LEPOB project:
Redevelopment of Brownfields – Challenge for Urban Development
held on 23rd November 2004 at the SPECTRA Centre of the Faculty of Architecture, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Slovak Republic
The seminar was organized together with the Slovak partner P8 - SKSI (The Slovak Chamber of Civil Engineers)
1. Objectives of the seminar:
The key objective of the seminar was to introduce the frame of reference in which the process of redevelopment takes place as well as to get feedback from the participants about the main problems in this field on which to focus the educational campaign. The frame of reference was drafted within the policy of spatial development, with special emphasis on urban development, based on land use principles in the zones with former industry uses and specific environmental pollution. The policy for brownfield redevelopment is lacking as there are still numerous legal and environmental obstacles to the establishment of national programs for the regeneration of brownfields. The purpose of this action was to bring understanding of the problem to the same level between countries. Whereas in all other partners countries there exists enough previously created material identifying, describing and analyzing this subject, in Poland and Slovakia such knowledge is not yet freely available. Therefore this seminar was bringing together many players from various governance levels and organizations:
Educational objectives:
a) Increase country based knowledge of the project partners thus enabling them to understand how best to access the teaching materials
b) Raise awareness of local professionals and interest them in further participation with project
c) Raise awareness of the problem to the public administration
2. Agenda and Contents of the Seminar
Agenda of the seminar:
9.30 Opening and Introduction of the EU programme Leonardo da Vinci II and the project LEPOB
9:45 - 12:00 SESSION 1
9.45 – 10.15 Revitalisation of Brownfields as an Impulse to Spatial
Development
Prof. Ing. arch. M. Finka, PhD.
FA STU, SPECTRA Centre Bratislava, SK
10.20 – 11.00 Support to Revitalisation of Brownfields – National
Priorities in the Czech Republic
Jiřina Bergatt Jackson B. Arch, ARC, RIBA,
Institute for Sustainable Development of Settlements, Prague, CZ
11.00 – 11.30 Experience from Revitalisation of the Areas suffering
from Conversion in Germany.
Prof. Dr. Isolde Roch, IOeR Dresden, D
11.30 - 12.00 Reference Frame for Educational Campaign aimed at
Revitalisation of Brownfields .
Ing. arch. Jana Pletnická, PhD., VSB Ostrava, CZ
12.00 –13.00 Lunch Break
13.00 – 16:30 SESSION 2
13.00 – 13.30 Revitalisation of Areas in Urban Industrial Zones aimed at
the Improving of the Quality of Life.
Doc. Ing. arch. Ivan Gürtler, PhD.,
FA STU, SPECTRA Centre Bratislava, SK
13.30 – 14.00 Land-Use Planning Preconditions for Territorial
Development
Ing. arch. Miloslava Pašková, Ministry of Construction and
Regional Development of the Slovak Republic
14.00 – 14.30 Methods of Finding out Economic Efficiency of the Costs
for the Revitalisation of Brownfields
Ing. Zora Petráková, PhD., SvF STU Bratislava, SK
14.30 – 15.00 Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Plans for the
Revitalisation of Brownfields
RNDr. Ingrid Belčáková, PhD.
FA STU, SPECTRA Centrum, Bratislava, SK
15.00 – 15.45 Cooperation andNetworking in Revitalisation of
Brownfields – Example of the European 5FP project CABERNET.
Doc. PhDr. Dagmar Petríková, PhD.
FA STU, SPECTRA Centrum, Bratislava, SK
15.45– 16.30 Discussion
16.30 Conclusions of the seminar
Contents of the seminar:
There were 9 papers, out of them 3 from abroad (Czech Republic and Germany). The topics of the seminar were focused on the issues of brownfields, from the point of view possible regeneration projects as catalysts and impulse to spatial development of the area/region, either in changing the main function or creating a new image for the region. All the topics have been presented from the point of view of opportunities given by the national planning policy ( Czech, Slovak and German), on the European requirements in the field of environmental protection, focused on the exchange of experience in the strategy of regeneration, its economic and social impacts, training and networking.
Abstracts of the papers:
SESSION 1
Doc. PhDr. Dagmar Petríková, PhD. FA STU, SPECTRA Centrum, BA, SK
Ing. arch. Jana Pletnická, PhD., VSB Ostrava, CZ
OPENNING and INTRODUCTION of the LEPOB project
Goals of the educational programme “Lifelong Educational Project on Brownfields”:
· Participants should understand the issue of brownfields and the multidisciplinary dimension of the regeneration process:
o realize the significance of the brownfields regeneration in relation to sustainable development of the city and environment
o recognise the conditions and constrains of the brownfields development
o understand the real value of the land and realize the land use priorities, and
o recognise all the stakeholders and components conditioning the operational process of regenerations
Programme of the “Lifelong Educational Project on Brownfields“:
· Create a regional brownfield education and reference frame
· Organize country based brownfield seminars
· Provide generic teaching product
· Run specific teaching courses for teachers
· Transfer courses to local partners
· Disseminate product through local bodies
· Apply for accreditation for the local course versions of long-life education programs
Prof. Ing. arch. M. Finka, PhD.
FA STU, SPECTRA Centre Bratislava, SK
Revitalisation of Brownfields as an Impulse to Spatial Development
Brownfields are adifficult problem in relation to rational use of land in the urban structure of the settlements. They affect highly negatively the land-use of the urban areas and at the same time they cause prolongation of transport, sewage and energy networks, which impacts the urban economy. It is highly important to focus on:
· Inventory of brownfields with the proposal of new uses for the abandoned and devastated areas of brownfields from the point of view of public well-being,
· Strategy of the process of brownfield redevelopment, with new uses for brownfields to hamonise the ecological, urban and economic aspects in spatial development,
· Stakeholders and their tasks in the process of brownfield redevelopment, in particular the different roles of the public and private bodies at the national, regional and local levels.
The key precondition of the redevelopment process is to develop the set of instruments to support the process at all levels.
Jiřina Bergatt Jackson B. Arch, ARC, RIBA,
Institute for Sustainable Development of Settlements, Prague, CZ
Support to Revitalisation of Brownfields – National Priorities in the Czech Republic
Brownfields are created especially by social and economic restructuring forces. “Brownfields” are land and property within the urbanized area that have lost their original use or are seriously underused. They often bear environmental damage, delapidated production buildings and plant. For a variety of reasons, brownfields constitute a larger portion of urban land in post-socialist cities. Brownfield properties have a very detrimental economic and physical influence on their surroundings. The complexities and costs related to their renovation and reuse discourages private capital from active economic intervention. Brownfields usually require public finance to help remove barriers to redevelopment, and start the reuse process rolling. The question of brownfields has emerged to a prominent place on the political agenda in developed countries since the 1970s, and is now strongly linked to a more general agenda of sustainable urban development. Brownfield reuse not only strengthens the vitality and efficiency of city centres, it also assists in taking the pressure off the agricultural lands ("greenfields") at the edge of cities. If not addressed, brownfields do not go away on their own – they only become a bigger and more expensive problem over time.
Prof. Dr. Isolde Roch, IOeR Dresden, D
Experience from Revitalisation of the Areas suffering from Conversion in Germany.
Regional strategic approach to several brownfield areas regeneration in the old mining areas at the Polish-German borders, Oberlausitz . Revitalisation was targeted towards the new functions for leisure time activities via the reuse of former areas of extensive mining, under the conditions of the overall demographic decline bound to the long-term emigration from the region and economic decline. The examples were also demonstrating the removal of the old ecological loads.
Ing. arch. Jana Pletnická, PhD., VSB Ostrava, CZ
Reference Frame for Educational Campaign aimed at Revitalisation of Brownfields
Ø Reasons and goals of the educational campaign:
· general lack of know-how and experience
· numerous legal and environmental obstacles
· absence of regeneration programmes
· lack of market background
· support to industrial development on greenfields
Ø Educational campaign strategy - focusing on 4 target groups of public:
· Decision makers (public authorities and policy makers)
· Developers and investors
· Educational institutions
· General public
Ø Forms of education:
· Short briefings with well-established experts
· Briefings with informed advisors (legislation)
· TV forum discussions
· Visiting of successfully realized regeneration projects
Doc. Ing. arch. Ivan Gürtler, PhD.,
FA STU, SPECTRA Centre Bratislava, SK
Revitalisation of Areas in Urban Industrial Zones aimed at the Improving of the Quality of Life.
Revitalisation of the areas in the old urban industrial zones can be targeted at the creation of the Technology Parks as the specific forms of business parks. They create supply for the attraction of the companies that produce goods and services, including information. They are based on the latest technologies, which are the basis of the development. They differ from the industry and business park with their requirements for localisation as well as for the characteristics of architecture and environment, like progressive energy saving and environment sound materials The aim is to revitalise the areas with the long-term perspective of sustainable development and rational use of the area as well as to increase employment. This was explained on the case study Technology Park in Zurich, Switzerland, Emscher Park in Germany and compared with the old industrial zones Danubius Elektrik, railway station and Siemens Kablo in Bratislava that are nowadays brownfields suitable for regeneration in the form of technology and business parks.
Ing. arch. Miloslava Pašková,
Ministry of Construction and Regional Development of the Slovak Republic
Land-Use Planning Preconditions for Territorial Development
In the process of granting the planning permission on new developments on brownfields there is thekey role of the municipality (at the local level) and the region (at the regional level). The Planning and Building Code of the Slovak Republic No. 50/1976 Zb. and its Public Notice No. 55/2001 Z.z. sets the rights and duties for the municipality as the authority responsible for land use planning at the local level:
· To follow and monitor the data and information on the territory,
· To start the non-statutory planning material procurement process that is necessary for the development of its territory in accord with the needs for its development,
· To start the planning documentation procurement process.
In the process of permitting new development on brownfield on the territory of amunicipality, it is necessary to approve the amendment of the local plan as well as cooperate with the Regional Council in solving location of technical infrastructure. The planning documentation can be further used as the offer for potential investors in the area either by the regional council or by the agency for supporting the flows of foreign investment.
Ing. Zora Petráková, PhD., SvF STU Bratislava, SK
Methods of Finding out Economic Efficiency of the Costs for the Revitalisation of Brownfields
With regard to long-term effects of existence and utilisation of the new developments on brownfields and relatively high investment costs, the complex evaluation of the investment proposals is recommended, in particular from the point of view of life-cycle of the built structure. The rationale of the evaluation of efficiency of investment costs is in the comparison of the spent capital for the built structure with the revenues brought by the utilisation of the structure.
There are several methods to evaluate this efficiency but all of them must answer the question: What is the degree of revenues, risks and repayment?
The methods can be static and dynamic, depending whether the time factor has been taken into account. The method of the costs for the life-cycle is the way of calculating the real costs for commissioning, utilisation and removal of the built structures.
RNDr. Ingrid Belčáková, PhD.
FA STU, SPECTRA Centrum, Bratislava, SK
Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the Plans for the Revitalisation of Brownfields
In the SEA process the following steps should be taken from the point of view of public consultation:
§ consultations with the key people representing various interests groups and various aspects of development,
§ supervision of the SEA process should be provided by the well-informed public,
§ approval of the decisions must be supported by the transparency of the process based on information campaigns.
· The methodology of SEA should be considered more complex than EIA, so it should not be limited or focused just on natural – environmental issues but it should be carried on in the frame of sustainable development, it means taking into account the social, natural, economic and spatial aspects equally.
· The relevant levels for SEA are the international and/or national and/or regional levels.
· SEA should address the regional development and regional interests
Doc. PhDr. Dagmar Petríková, PhD.
FA STU, SPECTRA Centrum, Bratislava, SK
Cooperation andNetworking in Revitalisation of Brownfields –Example of the European 5FP project CABERNET.
The Concerted Action on Brownfield and Economic Regeneration Network (CABERNET), is a multidisciplinary expert network that aims to facilitate new practical solutions for urban brownfields. Its vision is to: ‘Enhance rehabilitation of brownfield sites, within the context of sustainable development of European cities, by the provision of an intellectual framework for coordinated research and development of tools.’
This is a 3-year initiative, coordinated by the University of Nottingham in association with the German Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt [UBA]), funded under the EC 5th Framework programme (Key Action 4: City of Tomorrow and Cultural Heritage). The network consists of 49 Members and 6 Coordination Team members originating from 21 countries across Europe.