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Regeneration of brownfields gradually becomes an important challenge for regional and local development across the East-Central European countries. Due to the recent huge economic transition and global societal changes thousands of abandoned sites (brownfields) sprang up across the landscape after various economic activities, the Czech Republic included. This paper evaluates the perception of brownfields along with their individual reuse options by local population in one of the city districts of Ostrava which was heavily influenced by industrialisation during the last 150 years (Svinov city district, city of Ostrava, eastern part of the Czech Republic). The first part of the paper is devoted to brief theoretical aspects of brownfields regeneration and its perception. The second part of the paper presents us with the results of the questionnaire survey which was carried out among local population of Svinov (n=163) focusing on the perception of five selected local brownfield sites. It was found out that the issue of brownfields rouses huge discussions among public of the model area of Svinov. Among the most supported re-use options of local brownfields greenery and cultural facilities were identified. Brownfield sites located outside the settled area of the city quarter are almost disregarded while the re-use of centrally located sites for greenery is strongly supported. In the final part of the paper, the findings are synthesized and recommendations for public administration and potential investors are formulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last 15 years, empirical evidence has emerged about the fact that European first-rank cities have not always led national economic performance, and when they did, the difference between first- and second-rank cities in explaining national growth has not been significant. A recent work [Dijkstra, L., Garcilazo, E. & McCann, P. (2013) The economic performance of European cities and city regions: Myths and realities, European Planning Studies,21(3), pp. 334–354] claims that second-rank cities have in fact outperformed first-rank cities, becoming the main driving forces in national economic performance. In the debate that emphasizes the role of second-rank cities in national growth, a simplified view of the role of agglomeration economies is provided; they are taken for granted in small- and medium-sized cities and only in large cities will the problem of a downturn in urban returns to scale emerge. In this paper, a more complex view is assumed, claiming that the oversimplified interpretation that urban economic performance simply depends on the exploitation of agglomeration economies and that these agglomeration economies merely depend on urban size alone should be abandoned. Some already existing theoretical frameworks in urban economics can help in recalling the role of possible bifurcations in the development path of cities, linked to the capability to attract or develop new and higher-order functions, increase internal efficiency and reach scale economies through cooperation networks with other cities (the city-network theory). All these elements work as conditions for fully exploiting agglomeration economies and ways to overcome urban decreasing returns. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Because of dynamic processes of creative economy development and resistance to the crisis of modern creative industries which occurs mainly in metropolitan areas, the interest in understanding these local processes as a factor of bringing international trade competitiveness and providing convergence among the countries where those metropolises are situated is of great value. The EU, and Central and East Europe (CEE) in particular, is not an exception. This paper reveals the most productive creative industries in the EU; fins out the impact of metropolises' creative activities development on countries' international specialization. Perspective products' and geographic patterns relating creative products' international specialization for CEE countries, especially for those which have recently signed association agreements with the EU (Moldova, Ukraine, and Georgia as an important East Neighbour for the EU) are grounded. Using inter- and intra-trading estimations, the positioning of CEE countries in the EU 28(+3) international specialization pattern is indicated. The product specialization of metropolises in CEE countries which may (or may not) contribute to further internationalization of creative industries in these countries has been revealed in the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]