Industrial Clusters in Slovakia-Urban Development

Abstract

For almost three decades, Slovakia has been undergoing reform processes related to restructuring industry and in expectation of the sustainability of the industrial structure with an important link to the landscape. The aim of this article is the presentation of the development models of the industrial clusters in synergy with the economic dimension, landscape, settlement structure, and sustainability. The background of the article is an evaluation of industry and its impact on the landscape between the 19th and 21st centuries. The development of industry influenced the territorial and spatial development of towns and landscapes, forcing a new identity on them. Development mirrored the rate of innovation in the domain of technologies and construction. The issues examined herein required the application of a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods, including a creative method called SCAMPER. Our scheme and models of industrial parks and cooperation clusters are a result of theoretical and field research and reflect variable mobility and sustainability. The conclusions of the research indicate a turnover in the original order of importance in the industrial activity: environment–man–production. This is the contribution of evolution and the building of eco-friendly industrial structures.