Information on the Spatial Development Policy of the Czech Republic, Amendment No. 8 and on Delimiting the Settlement Structure Concept, by Jakub Kotrla, Hana Máchová, Filip Novosád
The article provides information from the Spatial Planning Department of the Ministry of Regional Development regarding the Spatial Development Policy of the Czech Republic, Amendment No. 8 draft, i.e. the national strategic spatial planning tool amendment draft. Amendment No. 8 also affects the chapter dedicated to the settlement structure, development areas, and development axes. The draft delimits categories of higher and medium settlement centres.
Settlement Structure Development and its Planning, by Karel Maier
Over the course of the 20th century, spatial planning activities gradually expanded from planning individual parts of cities to planning regions, entire states, and their settlement systems. Settlement structure planning and patterns were based on theoretical concepts. These concepts were used as standards for the settlement and population planning in pre-1989 Czechoslovakia. After 1989, they were replaced by a market-driven neoliberal approach as the main organiser of settlement, resulting in the sharp increase in economic disparities within the territory and the spatial polarization resulting from them. Czech spatial planning adopted EU spatial policies, which offer solutions to these issues, only in a rather formal manner for a long time.
The article addresses the most significant manifestations of spatial polarisation, which are considered to be, on the one hand, uncoordinated suburbanization in the hinterland of attractive centres, and on the other hand, demographic and social regression in peripheral rural areas as well as shrinkage in old industrial regions. It concludes, based on an analysis of relevant materials, that the delayed and insufficiently effective use of spatial planning tools to address these challenges in settlement structure requires mostly ex-post measures rather than a purposeful, forward-looking concept of the settlement structure patterns.
Changes in the Settlement Structure of the Czech Republic after 1991, by Radim Perlín
The settlement structure and changes in the number of residents represent one of the most stable indicators within the socio-economic development of the society. Nevertheless, socio-economic changes gradually reflect in the changes in population numbers, and thus in the settlement structure itself. Regions that are attractive in the long term from a socio-economic point of view are usually also attractive for residential purposes. Conversely, areas with long-term stagnation lose their population strength. Therefore, it is possible to assess the development potential of the settlement structure by examining population number changes according to different types of territories or various hierarchical levels. This article examines changes in population numbers during the 1991–2021 period, i.e. the past 30 years of relatively stable spatial as well as socio-economic development in the Czech Republic. The assessment was carried out at the regional level, represented by regions, and by administrative districts of municipalities with extended powers at the micro-regional level in the Czech Republic. A hierarchical perspective, i.e., monitoring changes in settlement structure development according to municipal size categories, enables assessing changes in population distribution as well as changes in the settlement importance regarding their size.
The assessment was carried out for the entire monitored territory and separately for the core (the centre of a given spatial unit) and for its hinterland, i.e., all other spatial units in the territory. This perspective allows a clear distinction between the dynamics of the core development and its hinterland. The results of the study confirm a continuing shift in population development trends and the relocation of dominant growth from cities to rural municipalities in the suburban hinterland of cities. The territory of the Czech Republic is becoming increasingly differentiated in terms of population change. The most significantly declining areas include, above all, the Moravian-Silesian Region, both the structurally affected Ostrava area and the peripheral Krnov areas as well as the entire Jeseník area in the Olomouc Region. Likewise, the Zlín area, with a stabilised population living in relatively large municipalities, is also experiencing population losses. Other structurally affected areas – the Ústí nad Labem area and, to a lesser extent, the Karlovy Vary area – unlike the Ostrava area, are not burdened by substantial population loss. Growth areas are, unsurprisingly, primarily metropolitan or suburban background of large cities, including the main Czech development axis Plzeň–Prague–Liberec and, respectively, Hradec Králové.
Settlement Structure in the Spatial Development Principles of the Karlovy Vary Region, by Barbora Merunková
This paper focuses on the settlement structure concept in the Spatial Development Principles of the Karlovy Vary Region. It describes the historical development of the region’s settlement structure as well as the current size and functional characteristics of its settlements. It further discusses how the settlement structure is reflected in the valid Spatial Development Principles of the Karlovy Vary Region, including development axes and areas aimed at strengthening the residential, employment, and cooperation functions of settlements. The text emphasises the need to update the delimitation of settlement centres in relation to the new Building Act and reflects on the importance of the Spatial Development Principles of the Karlovy Vary Region as a coordinating tool between regional and local levels of planning. The paper also includes considerations on possible directions for the future development of the settlement structure, taking into account both positive and risk factors influencing the settlement structure of the Karlovy Vary Region.
The Brno Metropolitan Area in Data: Transformations, Trends, and Strategic Planning, by Matouš Čanda, Zdeněk Dvořák, Soňa Raszková, Petr Šašinka
The dynamics, scope, and significance of changes in the hinterland of large cities require a new approach to managing their development. Functional Urban Areas (FUAs), such as the Brno Metropolitan Area (BMA), face challenges that extend beyond the administrative boundaries of individual municipalities – whether in terms of suburbanization, transformation of the economic structure, accessibility of public services, or growing pressure on transport and technical infrastructure. Successful metropolitan planning, therefore, requires accurate, up-to-date, and accessible data that enables monitoring a wide range of phenomena, resulting in well-informed decisions based on them. The development of a metropolitan area is the result of complex processes that can be effectively managed only through the use of sophisticated methods of data collection, analysis, and interpretation. It has become clear, in the context of the BMA, that the data resources are essential for coordination between the City of Brno and its hinterland. The system of data resources serves both local governments and experts in the fields of transport, the environment, and social services, and is also accessible to the wider public through the website metropolitni.brno.cz. It is possible to gain a better understanding of the interconnections between different parts of the metropolitan area by using interactive maps, thematic analyses, and open data to achieve more effective strategic planning and decision-making based on data-based information about the territory.
This article focuses on the key role of data in metropolitan planning. It presents the historical context, current urbanisation trends, and specific benefits of the analytical approach implemented in the Brno Metropolitan Area. It also demonstrates how data and visualisation tools support decision-making and strategic planning processes between the City of Brno and its hinterland areas.
