Post-mining landscapes and their endogenous development potential for small- and medium-sized towns: Examples from Central Europe

Marot, Naja; Harfst, Jörn

doi:10.1016/j.exis.2020.07.002

Cited by 15 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Where successful transitions to post-mining have been noted, reworking of the local economy and landscapes have seen a focus on new green areas, farming, new buildings, tourism and renewable energy. In addition, it has been noted that successful energy transitions are more likely to occur in those towns which already have high-tech companies and/or research institutions present, with access to external subsidies (Marot and Harfst, 2021).…”

Section: Regional Resiliencementioning

confidence: 99%

The regional implications of just transition in the world's most coal-dependent economy: The case of Mpumalanga, South Africa

Nel¹,

Marais²,

Mqotyana³

2023

Front. Sustain. Cities

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IntroductionSouth Africa has had an extraordinarily heavy reliance on coal to fuel its economy, and it is one of the highest carbon dioxide emitters per capita globally. Current moves aligned with COP26 and recently announced Western support for a Just Transition Partnership to support decarbonisation in South Africa and replace coal fired power stations with renewables are to be welcomed. That said, the majority of South Africa's coal mines, thermal power stations and the currently important coal export industry are located in Mpumalanga's Coal-Belt, an area which has and will continue to experience significant social and economic trauma as mines close and workers needs to be reskilled. There are currently over 100,000 workers in the coal and related industries in this region.MethodsThis paper draws on international and South African evidence of the effects and responses to mine closure, regional resilience theory and evolutionary economic geography theory to analyse the implications and prospects for economic renewal as the coal industry winds down. Evidence is sourced form secondary material including government and industry policy statements and media articles, while primary material was sourced from key informant interviews.ResultsTransitioning this region of South Africa from its virtual mono-economy based on coal presents challenges which this paper highlights. While support from international sources to help make this transition into renewables will be of considerable benefit, significant challenges need to be addressed to ensure that difficulties are overcome, and the risks of the resource curse experienced in many developing countries are minimized.DiscussionProcesses may need to be put in place to ensure that the ambitious goal of transitioning from coal to renewables can be achieved, finances and management well-targeted, and a sense of security given to outside investors to help fund the transition, but also broader economic diversification. In parallel to ensure the “transition is just” mechanisms also need to be put in place, by the state and the investors, to ensure that those citizens unable to transition are empowered and engaged in their community to stem the risk of the inevitable frustration and social disturbance that exclusion from the economy and living with declining services creates. Whom should be putting these processes into place also needs consideration given that existing organizations are already struggling. Though not an easy task, it is hoped that this paper sheds some light on the various issues and encourages consideration of the ways to address them.

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Section: Regional Resiliencementioning

confidence: 99%

The regional implications of just transition in the world's most coal-dependent economy: The case of Mpumalanga, South Africa

Nel¹,

Marais²,

Mqotyana³

2023

Front. Sustain. Cities

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“…Deşi se pune accentul pe dezvoltarea durabilă şi utilizarea raţională a resurselor, există încă numeroase areale post-miniere care nu sunt utilizate adecvat (Belzyt, 2019). Astfel sa impus ideea de revitalizare a acestor zone, prin măsuri ca: integrarea în circuitul turistic (Cercleux et al, 2018;Lamparska, 2019;Kaźmierczak et al, 2019); ecologizarea şi transformarea în parcuri sau grădini botanice (Marot and Harfst, 2021;Kantor-Pietraga et al, 2021) sau amenajarea unor parcuri industriale (Krzysztofik et al, 2020). În acest context, studiul prezent abordează fosta zonă minieră Ghelari în vederea revitalizării acesteia şi includerii clădirilor industriale în circuitul funcţional.…”

Section: Contextul Teoreticunclassified

Planificare teritorială ‐ de la teorie la practică. Studiu de caz din Ținutul Pădurenilor

Pop¹,

Hognogi²,

URSU³

2023

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“…Industrial heritage is probably the most commonly identified asset in industrial towns. These are tangible remnants of older industrial production, such as industrial sites, buildings and landscapes, which are commonly converted for tourism use (Bosák et al, 2018) or other forms of brownfield development (Kantor-Pietraga et al, 2021;Marot and Harfst, 2021). However, Görmar and Harfst (2019) caution that this may be too narrow an understanding of what industrial culture can offer, and that intangible aspects are even more important for new path development.…”

Section: Sociocultural Assetsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Research Agenda for Small and Medium-Sized Towns

2022

The Important Role of Nature in Planning for Small Cities

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and Arts. He is Head of the Department of Human Geography at the Anton Melik Institute of Geography and Lecturer at the Postgraduate School ZRC SAZU. His interests lie mainly in urban and economic geography with a focus on participatory research methods and community involvement. He is involved in several international projects looking at alternative futures and socio-economic transitions of small industrial towns across Europe. His work has appeared in City, Culture and Society, Geography Compass, Innovation and other journals.

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Post-mining landscapes and their endogenous development potential for small- and medium-sized towns: Examples from Central Europe

Cited by 15 publications

References 30 publications

The regional implications of just transition in the world's most coal-dependent economy: The case of Mpumalanga, South Africa

The regional implications of just transition in the world's most coal-dependent economy: The case of Mpumalanga, South Africa

Planificare teritorială ‐ de la teorie la practică. Studiu de caz din Ținutul Pădurenilor

A Research Agenda for Small and Medium-Sized Towns

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