OSTRAVA

Geographical Conditions:
(Pleas give a brief description and quantitative rates, if accessible)

The City of Ostrava is the third largest city of the Czech Republic and represents the natural industrial, administrative, economic, trade, cultural and educational center of the Moravian and Silesian Region. This region is situated in the north-eastern part of the Czech Republic and covers the area of 5.555 square kilometres, which stands for 7 % out of the whole Czech country, with 1 278 036 inhabitants.
Ostrava is advantageously situated in point of intersection of the Czech borders on Poland and Slovakia and at the crossing of trans-European transport routes in the northsouth
and east-west direction.
Basic data:
Total Area 214 sq.km
Population 318 thous.pres.
Density of population 1 486 inh./sq.km

Historical Development:
The economic and urbanistic development is associated with the discovery of hard coal in 1763 and afterwards with the foundation of Vítkovice Iron and Steel Works in 1828. After the World War II, the heavy industry was primarily developed in Ostrava. After 1989, faced to changes and priorities of the Czech economy, there began the process of modernization and industry restructuring and mining decline has been entirely started which was accompanied with releasing of the parts of the present production areas. As a result of historic development of Ostrava city these are the areas situated in most cases in the central parts of the city or in the areas directly connected with them and so these are the areas much attractive from the urbanistic point of view.
They are equipped almost always with extensive technical and transport infrastructure. In this connection it can be spoken about territory brownfields as about „not used potential of the territory and economic development of the city“ and that is why their new use and incorporation into the present structure of the city seems to be as one of the priorities of the city development.
In the first years it seemed that these released areas will be at the disposal relatively quickly, but soon it appeared that there is a number of problems obstructing from immediate new use. Contamination and its removal or risks mitigation of danger of environment belong to the main problems, furthermore release of these areas from original buildings and equipment. It is a very demanding process as to finance and time. But the principle problem is how these areas are to be used and who will finance their new use. Ostrava has started with promotion of the system approach to prepare and use the damaged areas since 1993 in the frame of the Project Silesia. This project (aimed at environmental and h u m a n h e a l t h r i s k assessment and risk management) was managed by the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic and USEPA and was financed by the U.S. government. In addition to valuable knowledge and experience verified on a number of the case studies and demonstration projects ( including risks analysis and proposal for remediation of Karolina site), it initiated also mediation of various contacts abroad. In 1997 there were made subsequently contacts with Central European Linkage Program supported with the Heinz Endowment company from Pittsburgh and in 1998 The Brownfields Center of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh was invited for collaboration. From 1998 several international meetings and workshops have been organized in Ostrava aimed at initiation of solving the brownfields revitalization problems and focused on concrete pilot examples (some typical abandoned industrial areas). Experience of the experts from the U.S.A, where a significant number of successful revitalization projects has been already implemented and examples of new use of earlier devastated and contaminated areas are of great help in starting the regeneration process in Ostrava.
Based on all these initiatives, the Department of Economic Development of the City of Ostrava has tarted with "The Research and Assessment of brownfields in Ostrava". There was prepared a survey of ecologically loaded and not used industrial and city localities on the city territory in graphic and text form for the purpose of formation of digitalized data base of those areas and determination of priority and rules for gradual revitalization and further use of those territories.

Economical System
The Ostrava conurbation, owing to the ongoing decline of the black coal mining and total restructuring and conversion of the metallurgical industry, with respect to the recovery of the devastated areas, represents the territory of hogh priority within the Czech Republic.
Changes and new priorites in the Czech Republic have resulted in the process of industrial restructuring and decline of the mining industry causing the release of parts of the present production areas. As a result of the historic development of Ostrava, these areas mainly situated in the central parts of the city, or in close proximity, which make them attractive from urban development point of view. These sites are equipped with extensive technical and transport infrastructure, which is why their new use and incorporation into the present structure of the city seems to be a development priority.
In the Czech Republic there is no LUDA inventory generally. There is the "System of Evidence of the Old Environmental Damages", which is administered by the Ministry of the Environment. The obligation to complete the database is determined at the directive (regulation) of the National Property Fund and Ministry of the Environment No. 1/2001.
The Government, through the National Property Fund, takes over the responsibility for settlement commitments for odl environmental damages caused before the privatization. National Property Fund uses (in according to law No. 171/2001) part of its revenue from the privatization to cover the costs for selected environmental damages. The newest document in connection with this issues is a Czech Republic Government resolution of January 10, 2001, No. 51: “On principles of Environmental commitments settlements arising prior to privatization”. This tool provides direct financial grants for remediation, cleanup limits, and technical support.
Alongside old environmental damages within the process of privatization there are solved also the damages caused by stay of Soviet Army (covered by state), further are solved reclamation old dumps. The integral system of solution is missing.
There is a lot of discussion about creation a national brownfield program and strategy for LUDA revitalization in the Czech Republic.

Economical Structure:
The structure of industrial production in Ostrava has historically been based on the excavation and processing of coal and on related branches – metallurgy, the coking industry, the chemical industry, heavy engineering, electric power generation, and civil engineering. Coal excavation within the City limits was terminated in 1994, but metallurgy and heavy engineering still remain the largest employers of the City. These industries are going through an important transformation and restructuring, along with considerable downsizing.

Transportation System:
Ostrava is an important road and railway transport junction, and it has its own international airport in Mošnov, about 25 kilometres from the city centre.

Motorways
A host of roadways link Ostrava to Poland, Slovakia, Austria and the rest of the Europe. Ostrava finds itself as a key node that links the largest cities and most important manufacturing centres of the new Europe. The city lies along the European 6th Multi-mode Corridor, which extends north to Poland’s A1 highway (continuing up to Helsinki), and south to Brno, and Vienna.
And that capacity will expand with the completion of the D-47 highway. Travel time to the Czech capital, Prague, will be shortened to a little over three hours.

Air Transport
regional airport in the Czech Republic with a capacity of more than one million passengers Ostrava - Mošnov International Airport is located 25 km from the city centre. It is the biggest per year and a runway 3500m in length and 63m wide, allowing it to accommodate the world’s largest airplanes. The airport caters to both domestic and international flights, scheduled and chartered, and is equipped to handle the administration of airfreight, including warehousing capacities. In the immediate vicinity of the airport there is a business and commercial free zone.

Railway Transport
The city is a significant transport and communication junction with five railway stations (Ostrava Main Railway Station, Ostrava - Svinov, Ostrava-Vítkovice, Ostrava Centre, Ostrava Kuncice) and five railway stops.

A new railway corridor leading from Austria – Breclav – Prerov – Ostrava – Petrovice – Poland is under construction.

The Ostrava Integrated Transportation System
The municipal transportation system and the commuter transportation system are operated by the Ostrava Integrated Transportation System (OITS). The OITS integrates four transportation companies serving a territory that covers 1 014 km2, and a population of 612 492 inhabitants. OITS has 437 stops within the territory of the city and 215 outside the city.

Economical Trend:
The entire industrial structure changes and in this connection also the environment and living conditions of the city inhabitants. Again, Ostrava has the opportunity to become a modern centre of the dynamically developing region with a significant industrial and human potential.
Ostrava has a well-established research, development and educational infrastructure. There are three universities within the City, and a fourth in nearby Opava that together educate more than 20 000 students per year. Ostrava’s Science & Technology Park is the Moravian-Silesian Region’s leading coordinator between academia, research, development and business. The Business Incubator provides start-ups with a strong place from which to establish themselves. There are many long standing research and testing organisations in the area as well.
Ostrava is also home to the Moravian-Silesian Engineering Cluster
Founded in 2003 by the Union for Development of the Moravian-Silesian Region, the Engineering Cluster is the first of its kind in the Czech Republic. The project is supported by CzechInvest, and partly financed by the EU’s ACENET program.

Unemployment: 18%

Job Opportunities: In the LUDA area was not relevant for kick-off phase

Typical Product: In the LUDA area was not relevant for kick-off phase

Informal economic Activities: In the LUDA area was not relevant for kick-off phase

Estate Market: In the LUDA area was not relevant for kick-off phase