Discussions on the revitalization of urban centers date back to the 1960s, especially of Western European and American cities. In the Czech Republic, their decline began to manifest itself in the 1970s and 1980s. Urban centers began to age and there was a concentration of socially marginalized groups of inhabitants. Then, economic and social transformation in the early 1990s radically transformed them. Restitution, privatization, and the introduction of a market mechanism have had far-reaching effects on the physical, functional, and social structures of towns. The questionnaire survey of municipality representatives showed that almost 60% of small towns (3-20 thousand inhabitants) underwent a process of significant revitalization of the town center in the post-1989 period._x000D_
Municipality representatives percieve themselves as the main actor of revitalization. Most also consider the national and European grant and support programs to be the actor, without which funding for revitalization measures would be unthinkable. More than 80% of small towns evaluate the results of revitalization positively with key factors of a clear and agreeable vision, and political will and support by the town management. Other important factors are the effective use of spatial planning and construction legal instruments, and the importance of property ownership, through which municipalities can influence urban development._x000D_
Research has shown that there is no guaranteed approach or model for revitalization, with the activities of Czech towns moving in different directions, corresponding to the local framework. However, most towns see the focus of revitalization measures in improving the quality of public spaces, and organization of cultural and social events. The current attention has mostly been focused on physical (hardware) revitalization, while the revitalization of quality of life, shopping opportunities, and free time activities (software) has not yet been given due attention.

David Klika; Jiří Ježek
University of West Bohemia

 
ID Abstract: 398