BROWNFIELD DILEMMAS IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF POST-COMMUNIST CITIES: A CASE STUDY OF OSTRAVA, CZECH REPUBLIC

The main purpose of the article is to analyse the procedures of urban brownfield solutions, with a focus on the environmental and cultural-historical aspects. This article explores the dilemmas of brownfield regeneration and redevelopment. These processes are placed in the wider perspective of multi-transformation processes of post-communist cities. The authors compared two former industrial zones -- Karolina and the Lower Area of Vitkovice in the city of Ostrava -- where they illustrated the key factors influencing their transformation. These case studies point to a unique example of urban industrial brownfields, concentrated within the area around the city centre, surrounded by residential zones. These brownfields also reveal the scope of the problem, as they are connected not only with the urban structure, but also with environmental, economic, social and cultural aspects. The authors have identified location, level of environmental degradation and social-economic conditions as the main factors that influence the brownfield issue.