Brownfield Data and Database Management—The Key to Address Land Recycling

Abstract

Brownfields sometimes represent a development problem but at the same time also hold development potential. With accurate and up-to-date information it is possible to assure the regeneration process is effective; therefore we investigated in detail the development of the process of brownfields management in two countries: Slovenia and the Czech Republic (the Moravian-Silesian Region). The article compares the process of development of databases and the data itself in both selected case studies, and evaluates and identifies the patterns of change in brownfields with a focus on regenerated sites. In the period 2017–2022 we have noticed a growing number of brownfields included in databases in both selected cases, despite the share of regenerated brownfield sites that have been excluded from the database. Both study cases show that ensuring continuity of work in the process of monitoring brownfields and knowledge transfer are critical for sustainable brownfield management and successful regeneration. Based on the comparisons, recommendations are summarised on how to make the database an effective tool that could be relevant to more sustainable brownfield development and land recycling.