What do we breathe in Brno and how can we make the air cleaner in the future? The team of Vilém Pařil and Dominika Tóthová, in cooperation with the City of Brno, will propose measures for cleaner air and, consequently, better quality of life in the city. In recent weeks, the scientists have met several times with representatives of the city's districts to hear their comments.
The representatives of Brno districts commented on the current form of the Action Plan update and told the scientists and Brno City Hall staff what they consider to be the most important problems in terms of clean air. In Židenice, for example, they are mainly dealing with pollution caused by construction works. Meanwhile, Maloměřice is mainly concerned about dust from road reconstruction and the seasonal operation of steam locomotives. In Chrlice, on the other hand, they are looking for ways to deal with situations where residents burn unauthorised waste in their stoves.
The conclusions of the six roundtable discussions will be incorporated by researchers from ECON MUNI into the Action Plan for Improving Air Quality in Brno. They have been monitoring air quality since 2021 at twelve locations. Newly, primary school pupils who carry small personal meters are also helping to collect data on air cleanliness. The results of the research constitute the basis for the development of measures. However, the researchers could not do without the information from the districts’ representatives. The project entitled Monitoring and Measures to Improve Air Quality in the City of Brno, funded by the Norway grants and State Environmental Fund, will end in April 2024.
In some parts of the city, it can be faster to ride a shared bike than to drive or take public transport. In Brno, these are areas like Nová Zbrojovka or Spielberg Office, where traffic is heavy and public transport accessibility is poor. Dr Ondřej Špetík from ECON MUNI talks about how Brno residents use the bike-sharing system in the following interview.
Fourteen courses at ECON MUNI will include sustainability and ecology topics starting next autumn. Marie Hladká, Vice-Dean for studies, explains what exactly the "greening" will involve and why it is an important part of university education.
