ABSTRACT
The legacy has been catastrophic and brownfields represent the most serious environmental threats in the Czech Republic from abandoned mines, mills, former Soviet army bases, unsecured dumps and aiiports. One of the most critical issues at present in Ireland is the lack of any formal research about the extent of brownfields, and the small number of individuals with limited resources trying to plug the information gap. In an early effort to promote sustainable urban development in line with the Rio recommendations, the European Sustainable Cities Project argued that as well as accepting that land is a finite resource, policy should be supply-driven rather than demand-driven, and land recycling encouraged. Recognising that the problems of urban sustainability are most acute in "areas where residential densities are low and where day-to-day activities are widely separated", the Union has favoured the adoption of local responses to urban issues.
