Assessing Success Factors of Brownfields Regeneration: International and Inter-Stakeholder Perspective

Abstract

The paper presents the results of an interna-tional comparative survey of stakeholders from four European countries (the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland and Romania). The aim was to identify and classify the ‘success factors’ of brownfelds regeneration and to detect signifcant convergences and divergences concerning the drivers and barriers of regeneration processes in different geographical and institutional contexts. The existence of ecological burden or site con-tamination, overall regeneration costs and clari-fed ownership relations are considered the most important factors of regeneration internationally. Especially in Romania but also in Poland, the fac-tors at national level (legislation, incentives, and foreign direct investments) are perceived to be more infuential than in the Czech Republic and Germany, where a stronger emphasis is put on the location factors (whether a brownfeld is lo-cated in rural, urban or inner city area) and trans-port links. Physical attributes such as the site’s area and terrain are also considered among the most signifcant factors in Romania. While rep-resentatives of public administration emphasized more the importance of legislation, state incen-tives and general localization, the investors and developers highlighted local factors (landscape protection limits, place marketing, and previous use of brownfelds). The emphasis on political and geographical factors increases with the level of experience of stakeholders, while the empha-sis on site specifc factors decreases with the length of experience.

Keywords

• brownfelds, regeneration, suc-cess factors, perception, stakeholders.