International team of students investigates the use of Prague's brownfields

Prague - An international team of students from the university in Wageningen, Netherlands, is conducting research in Prague on the future use of vacant areas around Prague's train stations. Representatives of the students and the Arnika association today presented preliminary results of the research, which will continue until July.
The research concerns Masaryk Station, Žižkov Station, Bubny, Smíchov, and Rohansky Island in Karlín. In recent years, developers have announced projects on most of these areas with a total value exceeding 100 billion crowns. However, construction has not yet started anywhere.
"Right now, the so-called first wave of citywide significant changes to the zoning plan is taking place, in which decisions are being made about the future of the land at four major Prague train stations. Students can contribute to formulating the parameters for new uses of railway land and limits on potential new construction," said Zora Kasiková, spokesperson for Arnika, earlier. Arnika wants to use the results of the study to comment on and provide feedback on the changes to the city’s zoning plan.
The preliminary results of the research have already revealed, for example, ambiguities regarding how some plots were acquired by developers. "In some cases, it was unclear how their owner obtained the land," said a representative of the students. According to them, this situation is non-transparent. The students also pointed out attempts to circumvent the zoning plan or the heritage protection of some buildings located around the stations. "We identified economic interest as the main problem that prevails over sustainable development of brownfields," summarized the researchers.
Students are also analyzing the relationships between all the actors involved in the development of brownfields, which include, besides construction companies, authorities, political parties, civic associations, and city residents. Among the preliminary results is the finding that authorities should strive to involve citizens more in decision-making about the future of these train stations, for example, in the form of public discussions.
The project called "Brownfields in the Center of Prague - Criteria for Sustainable Development" is part of the master's program in Environmental Studies at Wageningen University. "The essence of the course is to deepen skills and apply the knowledge that students have acquired during their studies," said one of the course instructors, Karen Fortuin.
The research involves 30 students from 17 countries. So far, the students have conducted 25 interviews with experts and completed 570 questionnaires.