The nature and dynamics of local land use conflicts in a polyrational arena

Funder of the project
Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (project no. 20-11782S)

Funding period
January 2020 - December 2022

Members of the resaerch team
Pavel Raska (project coordinator), Standa Martinat, Bohumil Frantal, Dan Van der Horst , Barbora Duzi, Ivan Andrasko, Vladan Hruska, Lenka Slavikova

Aim of the project
With growing pressure on land, conflicting values and rationalizations may result in land use conflicts and globally pose fundamental dilemmas for decision-makers. Taking the sociogeographical stance, we focus on local land use conflicts - the situations where strategies and policies meet varying perspectives at a local level. Using the Czech case study, we aim at different priorities (brownfield regeneration, energy landscapes, flood management and rural development) that are frequently encountered in similar territorial settings and create local land use conflicts. First, we will conduct a country-wide quantitative analyses of the extent and dynamics of conflicting land use transitions. Second, we will apply the process-tracing based on documentary data, semi-structured questionnaires with stakeholders and face-to-face questionnaires in local communities to explore rationalizations leading to land use decisions in case studies. Finally, we aim to establish a typology of local land use conflicts and suggest the regionally-based guiding principles for their adaptive management