Re-development of a former military training area—The case of Brdy told from a local actors’ perspective

Abstract

Military training areas (MTAs) are special spatial units. Closed and inaccessible for the general public, they have been shaped by long-term military use of various potential type and intensity. Following the suspension of operation, some MTAs fell derelict and buildings and infrastructures on it become brownfields. Local municipalities will have strong interests and will care about the re-development options – either in utilising potentials or in preventing competitions. We take a Czech example and use in-depth semi-structured interviews to investigate the how local actors perceived and influenced the re-development perspectives of the former MTA Brdy, Czech Republic. This case is interesting, because international and national politics in as much as different groups of local stakeholders played significant roles in creating opportunities and for holding or pushing a re- or new development on the military brownfield land. Next to the results of the qualitative interviews with local stakeholders, we include analysis of available statistical data and information about the case study municipalities. Our contribution gives an insightful investigation about the role that local actors played in determining new uses of the former MTA in uncertain and unstable socio-economic and political conditions typical for post-communist and developing countries.