Mining activities lead to significant transformations of the original terrain, resulting in development of new post-mining landscape. The objective of this study was to assess the land transformations in the result of prolonged, underground and open-pit mining of shallow brown coal deposits in glaciotectonic structure of Muskau-Arch on the Polish-German border in the context of the geoheritage of this area. With this purpose, a geodatabase of thematic datasets representing progress of mining was developed in a geographic information system (GIS) based on topographical maps, mining plans, photographs, and digital elevation models (DEMs). The following timescales: 1903, 1911, 1937, 1955, 1972 and present-day were digitally reconstructed and quantitatively analysed using spatial processing functions including feature layer overlay and DEM differencing. The original, transitional and present-day landscapes were compared and visualised on five thematic maps and tables describing the spatio-temporal transformation of the natural landscape caused by underground and open-pit mining. Approximately 36.85% of the study area has been transformed, giving rise to the landscape of the present-day Geopark. The results provide insight into the genesis of its geoheritage. The adopted methodology, based on the historical GIS (HGIS) approach, can be applied to other post-mining sites, providing relevant documentation is available.
On 2nd June 2010, heavy rainfall triggered a significant debris flow on the southern slope of Leme & scaron;n & aacute; Mountain in the Javorn & iacute;ky Range (Outer Western Carpathians), Czech Republic. Multidisciplinary research was carried out there, including geomorphological survey, electrical resistivity tomography, laser scanning, soil and rainfall analysis. The debris flow occurred after the prolonged convective and intense rainfall. The antecedent precipitation index calculated for the previous 30 days reached 134.1 mm and the daily rainfall 37.4 mm, 13 times higher than the long-term average daily rainfall. The debris flow occurred in unconsolidated flysch sediments and caused minor damages. The locality was affected by slope movements in the past, as evidenced by two debris flow deposit cones in the valley. Electrical resistivity tomography revealed a sliding surface at a depth of 5 m and another at 15-20 m. However, according to local residents and the forest manager, no mass movement has been recorded in there in the last 40 years. Human intervention, particularly artificial drainage and deforestation, could also have contributed to the debris-flow triggering. The aim of this work was a complex analysis of the triggering conditions of the debris flow and a risk assessment of new events in this area.
Urban green spaces (UGS) provide a range of benefits and services that enhance the quality of life for city residents and UGS visitors. However, the potential of UGS often remains unfulfilled. This study presents an application of the placemaking concept for UGS planning, using the example of an urban park in Pardubice, Czech Republic. Its aim is to gain a deeper understanding of both the physical and social dimensions of the park. This research involved the use of a geo-questionnaire to explore visitors’ motivations, perceived positive and negative aspects, and suggestions for improving the park area. The geo-questionnaire method enables people to directly influence planning decisions, contributing to a more inclusive and functional public space. The results show that the most common reasons for visiting the park are: walking, activities with children, the attractiveness of the environment, sports, and relaxation. The park’s positives include its greenery and natural character. In contrast, the greatest negative is insufficient amenities. The analysis showed that the suggested changes are spatially concentrated, mainly in the park’s central and northern areas. Frequently mentioned suggestions for specific improvements include new seating areas and refreshment stands. This study demonstrates a practical approach to engaging residents in the planning process and improving the quality of public spaces.
Traditional farmsteads are essential patterns of rural landscapes, reflecting long-term cultural and economic transformations. This study focuses on a traditional farmstead type - sala & scaron;, in Vojvodina Province, Serbia, aiming to identify and describe historical and contemporary forms, focusing on their development, distribution, concentration and transformation, since the 18th century until today. The methodology combines historical literature review and map analysis with field surveys and geospatial analyses. The broader case study covers Vojvodina, with & Ccaron;enej as a reference area for spatial analysis. Results show a peak in farmstead number and density during the interwar period, followed by a decline due to socio-economic changes and urbanisation. Spatial analysis revealed that proximity to urban centres and roads supports activity, while fragmentation near motorways contributed to abandonment. The study proposes a typology of four historical and five contemporary farmstead types based on structure, land use, function, and vegetation traces, reflecting distinct phases of transformation. These findings provide a framework for interpreting landscape changes and underline the importance of recognising traditional farmsteads as part of rural heritage and cultural identity.
This study examines players’ adaptation mechanisms after gambling venues reduction. Current research on gambling regulation focuses primarily on availability effects, yet empirical evidence on how players adapt to venue closures remains limited. Environmental prevention strategies that systematically alter gambling conditions create natural experimental situations where players must adjust their behaviour to changed circumstances. To address this gap, we conducted an online survey among 1,503 regular gamblers in the Czech Republic. Using multinomial logistic regression, we analysed adaptation strategies across three venue types: lottery outlets, betting shops, and electronic gambling machine (EGM) venues. Our findings reveal that 41.3% of regular players experienced venue closure, with significant variations in adaptation patterns. While 68.8% of lottery players switched to other venues, only one-third of EGM players chose this option, with most transitioning to online gambling instead. Key predictors of online migration included younger age, online preference, and venue supply levels. Notably, only 5.5% of EGM players completely ceased gambling after venue closure, suggesting limited effectiveness of supply reduction for high-risk gambling forms. Gender emerged as a significant factor, with men showing 65–73% lower probability of cessation. These results indicate that venue restrictions primarily lead to activity redistribution rather than participation reduction, supporting the ‘balloon effect’ concept.
This study examines Czech elementary and secondary school teachers’ perceptions of classroom diversity, focusing on visible and concealable student differences, including those related to sexual orientation and gender identity (LGBT+). Based on survey data from 701 class teachers across diverse regions, we explore how urbanicity, measured by municipality size, is associated with educators’ recognition of and (un)certainty about various identities. Teachers in larger municipalities, particularly Prague, reported greater perceived diversity and lower uncertainty in recognizing LGBT+ students, partially supporting the cosmopolitan thesis, which associates exposure to difference with increased openness. However, we distinguish cosmopolitanism as a cultural disposition from urbanicity as a demographic indicator, emphasizing that they should not be conflated. Unexpectedly, institutional support for managing diversity in the classroom did not vary systematically with municipality size, suggesting that local leadership and training are more influential than demographic context. While urban teachers tended to view diversity more positively, those in smaller municipalities expressed greater uncertainty, especially regarding less recognizable identities, such as sexual orientation, gender diversity, and religion. These findings highlight the roles of concealability, stigma, and cultural norms in shaping recognition of diversity. We argue that inclusive education requires not only policy change but also cultural and institutional transformation.
In post-socialist countries, in recent years, scientific debate has focused on extensive and uncoordinated suburbanization, which has led to fragmented settlement expansion into rural areas increasingly distant from the core city. Although suburbanization in this part of Europe has intensified, its dynamics have become increasingly differentiated within individual urban regions. The aim of this paper is to determine the dynamics of suburbanization across the entire Warsaw Metropolitan Area and within its internal structure, as well as to identify the probable causes and consequences of the observed changes in the scale of the analyzed processes. It verifies the hypothesis that since the mid-1990s, the initially more extensive spreading of the population in rural areas of Warsaw region has gradually shifted toward greater concentration in a limited number of municipalities. In this study, the k-means classification method was applied. The findings confirmed that the majority of the WMA municipalities remained demographically active throughout the entire study period, however, a more extensive pattern of suburbanization, characterized by smaller differences between units of analysis, is shifting toward a more concentrated form. The most significant turning points that accelerated the change in the character of suburbanization towards greater selectivity were the 2009 economic crisis and the pandemic.
The sense of place (SOP) concept has considerable potential in geography education and is recognized as an effective tool for developing sustainability competencies. This article aims to address the following research questions: 1) To what extent do Czech and Slovak students identify with their region, and which factors are associated with this identity? 2) Which types of places do students feel the most connected to, and what are the reasons for this connection? We employed both qualitative and quantitative methods for data collection and analysis. An online questionnaire with both open- and closed-ended questions was distributed to all lower secondary schools in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The questionnaire was completed by 8,653 students from these schools. Responses were analyzed using both statistical and content analysis. The results indicate that students’ identity with their region decreases with age, that boys exhibit a stronger identity than girls, and that significant differences exist in students’ identity across different regions. Students’ preferred places most often fall within the categories of home, city, and natural environment. The reasons for students’ SOP are multidimensional. Research into students’ SOP may contribute to more effective integration of the concept into education, thereby fostering the development of sustainability competencies.
The low participation rate of preschool children in pre-primary education is most often due to (i) a lack of kindergartens or available places in them, and (ii) low participation of children from a socially disadvantaged environment. Lack of knowledge and information on the specific features of (un)availability of kindergartens, the nature and drivers of low enrolment of preschool children, are often the cause of the poor effectiveness of programmes to increase children’s participation in pre-primary education. The approach presented here reflects a broader spectrum of aspects of availability in pre-primary education. The paper aims to identify regions suitable for targeting interventions and funding to support pre-primary education. The intention is to assess the spatial differentiation of availability of pre-primary education based on the regional typology of municipalities and to identify potential factors influencing its variability. Key findings reveal significant regional differences in participation in pre-primary education. The results show that children’s participation in pre-primary education is conditioned not only by insufficient kindergarten capacity but also by different demographic, social, and economic conditions. The findings are useful for planning pre-primary education. They highlight the need for targeted interventions and spatially differentiated education policies to improve access to pre-primary education.
The imminent end-of-life of many installed wind turbines, combined with the need to meet the renewable energy targets set by the EU, presents critical challenges, such as assessing the obsolescence of installations and quantifying resulting waste. This study develops and applies a streamlined and transferable methodology to address these challenges, using the region of Andalusia (southern Spain) as a case study. The results indicate that, depending on assumed lifespans (20, 25 or 30 years), 90.87%, 25.29% or 9.97% of wind turbines in Andalusia will become obsolescence by 2030, and that nearly all installations are expected to cease operations by 2050. This article also maps turbines distribution, estimates waste generation and compares environmentally sensitive areas suitable for wind farms with those already occupied, aiming to assist in informed decision-making by stakeholders. An estimated 464,284 tonnes of waste will be generated, of which 63,742 tonnes correspond to rotor components. The proposed methodology offers a replicable approach for quantifying and managing turbine lifespan and associated waste generation, supporting informed decision-making processes and adaptability to other territorial contexts. Overall, the results underscore the urgency of incorporating obsolescence, waste generation and territorial sensitivity into energy planning to advance toward a just, and environmentally responsible transition.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of online shopping, making it an integral part of consumer behaviour. This surge in e-commerce adoption has potential implications for transport behaviour, spatial patterns of transport flows, and modifications to existing transport infrastructure. This paper aims to explain the spatial patterns of online shopping behaviour and its relationship to in-store shopping in the metropolitan region of Ostrava, a medium-sized polycentric agglomeration in the Czech Republic. The innovation-diffusion hypothesis was tested, which posits higher e-commerce adoption in urban cores, and the efficiency hypothesis, suggesting that e-commerce reduces the need for shopping-related travel. The research draws on survey data from 468 respondents to examine the effects of spatial, sociodemographic, and attitudinal variables on the frequency of online shopping. General linear models were employed to test both current differences in the frequency of online shopping behaviour and changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Neither the innovation-diffusion hypothesis nor the efficiency hypothesis was supported. The frequency of online shopping showed relatively minor intra-metropolitan differences, with no systematic effects of urban form, centrality or accessibility. Lifestyle habits (specifically, time spent online) emerged as the most significant predictor of online shopping behaviour. The findings revealed no significant substitution or complementary effects between online and in-store shopping, suggesting a neutral relationship. These results highlight the primacy of individual lifestyle and e-commerce adoption over spatial and sociodemographic factors in shaping patterns of shopping behaviour.
This study analysed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the urban transport systems in Lodz and Bratislava, focusing on changes in mobility behaviour, public transport efficiency, and road congestion. To analyse the efficiency of the road network, traffic microsimulations were conducted. For the assessment of public transport efficiency, comparable data on yearly volumes of passengers carried by public transport operators in the two cities were applied. The results confirm that the pandemic triggered significant, though mostly temporary, changes in the use of both personal and public transport. The findings indicate that the pandemic influenced both the organisation and use of urban transport systems. In both cities, public transport ridership declined sharply due to lockdowns and travel restrictions, forcing operators to adjust schedules, reduce service frequencies, and implement additional health measures. Simultaneously, car traffic patterns were also disrupted, with the early stages of the pandemic bringing a reduction in congestion, followed by a return to pre-pandemic levels. The pandemic proved that more emphasis should be placed on developing intelligent transport management systems to better adapt to changing conditions and the preferences of road users.
Suburban mothers are a vulnerable group in transport since they experience especially great spatiotemporal constraints due to their gender roles and are facing transport barriers typical for suburban areas. Locations of home, work, and kindergarten are essential factors influencing the everyday travel experience of mothers of preschool children. This paper examines spatial patterns of the home-work-kindergarten spatial separation of mothers (the extent to which a mother’s residence, workplace, and childcare facility are geographically distributed, manifesting in different spatial configurations) along with its causes and circumstances. Together, 136 middle-class mothers residing in the post-socialist Bratislava suburban region (Slovakia) participated in the research. Most mothers preferred and had their children’s kindergartens near their home locations. There was no significant correlation between the gender beliefs of mothers (in areas of work and childcare) and the home-work-kindergarten separation. Mothers primarily responsible for bringing and picking up a child in/from a kindergarten had significantly smaller home-work-kindergarten separation than others. However, when distinguishing the time of the day, such results were only valid for the morning periods. There was no significant difference in the degree of the home-work-kindergarten separation between the mothers who receive help with child care from another adult in their household and others.
Emerging studies highlight the potential influence of different political regimes on COVID-19 mortality statistics reliability. This study has two objectives: first, to analyze COVID-19 mortality datasets and identify accurate sources for post-communist countries of the European Union and former Soviet Union; second, to examine the relations between COVID-19 mortality data quality and democracy levels in these countries. Given limited open access or transparent national data sources in some countries, this analysis seeks to help researchers identify optimal existing sources for these regions. Observed mortality levels during the pandemic were evaluated in relation to democracy levels to explore associations between governance and data reporting practices. Two mortality indicators (excess mortality and undercount ratio of deaths) were analyzed over 2020–2021 based on three international databases: World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations World Population Prospects (UN WPP), and World Mortality Dataset (WMD). These sources were crucial since some post-communist countries’ national statistical offices do not publish mortality data publicly. The Democracy Index from The Economist Intelligence Unit (2019–2021) was used for democracy classification. Countries were grouped based on mortality characteristics, using cluster analysis. Results suggest that lower democracy levels may be a risk factor for transparency in health data reporting.
The 3-30-300 rule outlines key principles for urban greenery, emphasising its role in promoting human health, well-being, and quality of life. It calls for equitable access to green spaces and an integrated approach to urban development. This study introduces a transferable methodology for applying the 3-30-300 rule, focusing on Czech cities. A notable feature of the study is its usage of a deep learning tool combined with freely available public data. The methodology was applied to all residential buildings in the city of Olomouc, providing specific results at both citywide and individual rule-component levels. The study also addresses the rule’s limitations, offering a realistic view of its practical application. This contributes to the broader discussion on the role of urban green spaces in creating more sustainable and liveable cities. The findings reveal that rule 3 is met for nearly all residential buildings in Olomouc. However, rule 30 appears unattainable in the city, with maximum neighbourhood canopy cover reaching only 22%. Only approximately 25% of residential buildings are situated within the recommended 300-metre radius of a park. Our research shows that the 3-30-300 rule is a feasible framework for measuring the availability of greenery in (Czech) cities; however, further methodological development is needed.
The Natura 2000 network is the key tool for preserving biodiversity in the EU. However, such a system of territorial protection is under increasing anthropogenic pressure and sites with no national designation are managed rather insufficiently across Europe. Therefore, we investigated six selected large areas consisting of Natura 2000 sites in the Czech Republic, which are not designated as national large-scale protected areas, analysed their landscape development over the last 70 years, and considered their suitability for establishment as national protected areas. All studied Natura 2000 sites have suitable conditions to become national protected areas; lower anthropogenic pressure than in current nationally protected areas and also natural and close-to-natural land cover in the vast majority of the areas. Moreover, designation of these areas as nationally protected areas could contribute significantly to ensuring connectivity between protected areas and could enhance proper management of the areas, which is especially needed in some valuable but vulnerable regions.
Riverscapes are degraded and threatened by human activities. We investigated the spatiotemporal dynamics and trends of land use/land cover (LU/LC) and ecosystem services (ES) in the floodplain of the Odra River in the Czech Republic over the last 80 years. Our focus was on: (i) the effects of changing political regimes and environmental policies on changes in LU/LC and ES (agricultural potential, natural flooding, and water provision and quality), and (ii) the effects of the establishment of a protected landscape area (Poodří PLA) on ES over the last 30 years. To assess LU/LC changes, we performed vectorization and categorization using aerial images. For ES assessment, we analyzed the spatial distribution of LU/LC and other characteristics in our study area. Potential agricultural ES showed a decreasing trend, similar to neighboring countries, while natural flood mitigation and water ES increased due to the decline in arable land. Policy assessments revealed significant changes in LU/LC. The Poodří PLA significantly enhanced ES by preserving the riverscape. This research demonstrates the under-researched long-term monitoring of ES, including before and after evaluation of the PLA, and highlights the importance of practical nature conservation for the riverscape ecosystem benefits to human society.
The aim of the article was to evaluate the importance of historical ferries and ferry ports from the point of view of cultural heritage. The research took place in two model areas in the lands of Bohemia and Moravia in the Czech Republic. The registered transfer points supplemented by supporting database from historical topographical maps can be an appropriate basis for assessing the importance of cultural heritage. A follow-up archival and field research made it possible to objectively assess the potential of river ferries for cultural heritage. The knowledge and information about historical river ferries can be objectively used to make places more attractive for tourists. An ideal form of preservation of the cultural heritage is represented by preserved objects connected with the operation of the ferry, and the remains of anthropogenic landforms and landscaping. The construction or restoration of some objects associated with ferry operations contributes to the preservation of cultural heritage in this specific area of transport. The article attempted to verify whether the proposed methodology for assessing the cultural and historical values of river ferries is a suitable tool for assessing the importance of individual river ferries as a cultural heritage.
Our aim was to develop a pixel-based methodology employing multiple terrain parameters for the semi-automatic identification of terrain edges. The procedure was applied to landform features associated with slope failures, operating on different resolutions of a digital terrain model (DTM). We intended to produce two outputs - grid maps base on: discrete data allowing precise identification and revealing a higher incidence of terrain edges than a hillshade map; floating point data visually highlighting terrain edges more sharply than a hillshade grid. The results showed that the grid maps generated by the new method: Binary Terrain Edges - BinT and Quality Terrain - QT exhibited more terrain edges than the hillshade map. The method demonstrated its robustness when used across three different resolutions of DTM. It was applied within the protection buffer zone of the overhead transmission powerline (OHL). Slightly more than half of the total of identified and manually digitised slope failures using the hillshade map supplemented with failures observed in QT may not necessarily be subject to field confirmation. OHL is a long-distance construction passing a variety of environments. Therefore, the detection of slope failures requires semi-automatic or automatic procedures to be costless and time-saving.
The recognition of geomorphosites as heritage sites is often based on an assessment of their heritage values conducted by scientists, and many methodological proposals have been published in the last two decades to achieve this evaluation. However, the criteria defined in these methods are primarily designed to assess the heritage values of the landforms themselves, focusing mainly on the static aspects of geomorphosites and often overlooking the dynamic processes that are integral to their formation and ongoing evolution. In this article, we define specific criteria for evaluating the heritage values of active processes and discuss four issues related to their protection: (1) defining the functional perimeter, (2) managing natural hazards, (3) determining the relevance of conserving an active geomorphological system in its current state, and (4) deciding whether it is more important to protect the landforms or the processes. Through three case studies in the Swiss Alps, the results show that an ideal management practice would be to maintain the natural dynamics and rate of change of geomorphological processes, with exceptions when they have a negative impact on landforms of higher heritage value than the processes, or when they threaten human life or infrastructure.
