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How to tackle brownfield redevelopment in Croatia? A complex new governance issue

The aim of this paper is to investigate how brownfield redevelopment might be approached in Croatia. Crucial in such activities is the involvement of many stakeholders, which belong to various institutional arenas, formal and informal, and across levels of government. The term “ brownfields” is commonly used for derelict, abandoned or underused sites and where a real or perceived problem of contamination exists. Besides this perspective, brownfields redevelopment might also be seen as an opportunity for local development initiatives. In Croatia, transition, post-war problems and poor management in state owned as well as privatised enterprises were the main reasons for bankruptcies of many companies in the past 15 years. This created a sad landscape throughout the country where many industrial sites are either underused due to partial privatisations, or are vacant and deteriorate through time. The presence of such industrial sites has various adverse effects not only on the environment, but also on the economic and social health of the regions and localities. In addition to industrial sites, there are sites that can be identified as brownfields such as vacant sites previously used by the Ministry of Defense. Due to the complexity of initiating brownfield redevelopment processes and specific problems in Croatia, economic development initiatives are directed towards attracting “ greenfield” investments, creating new industrial and entrepreneurial zones. At the same time administrative and legal procedures related to spatial planning, issuance of permits and lacking clarity on property rights are perceived as main obstacles to economic development. Brownfield redevelopment is a very concrete issue through which horizontal and vertical impacts of existing public policies and activities in the case of Croatia can be examined. The paper will conclude with the identification of possibilities for new modes of governance and participatory initiatives for brownfield redevelopment in Croatia.

Brownfield redevelopment; local development; governance; coordination

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