Closed Urban Blocks versus Open Housing Estate Structures: Sustainability Surveys in Brno, Czech Republic

Abstract

A prominent place in the spatial arrangement of Czech as well as other post-socialist, Central European cities belongs to 19th century closed urban blocks and the open panel housing estates which were erected during the socialism era in the second half of 20th century. The urban characteristics of these two fundamentally diverse types of residential structures have, as we suppose, a different impact on the sustainable development of the urban area. The amount and character of local greenery, the spatial arrangement and accessibility of the courtyards, the spatial forms of the surrounding buildings and many other factors can influence the ecological stability of the area, its hygienic qualities, the intensity and way of using by various social groups, and also e.g. the prices of real estates. These and many other phenomena indicate the ecological, hygienic, social and economic sustainability of the urban area. The research methodology evaluates specific measureable indicators of sustainability within a range from 0 to 10 points where 5 points correspond to the general standard in the area, 0 points indicate degradation, and 10 points indicate the highest contribution to sustainable development. The survey results are reflected in the overall sustainability index and in the residents’ satisfaction index that reflects the subjective satisfaction based on questionnaires surveys.

A prominent place in the spatial arrangement of Czech as well as other post-socialist, Central European cities belongs to 19th century closed urban blocks and the open panel housing estates which were erected during the socialism era in the second half of 20th century. The urban characteristics of these two fundamentally diverse types of residential structures have, as we suppose, a different impact on the sustainable development of the urban area. The amount and character of local greenery, the spatial arrangement and accessibility of the courtyards, the spatial forms of the surrounding buildings and many other factors can influence the ecological stability of the area, its hygienic qualities, the intensity and way of using by various social groups, and also e.g. the prices of real estates. These and many other phenomena indicate the ecological, hygienic, social and economic sustainability of the urban area. The research methodology evaluates specific measureable indicators of sustainability within a range from 0 to 10 points where 5 points correspond to the general standard in the area, 0 points indicate degradation, and 10 points indicate the highest contribution to sustainable development. The survey results are reflected in the overall sustainability index and in the residents’ satisfaction index that reflects the subjective satisfaction based on questionnaires surveys.