Cemeteries as Parts of Sustainable Cities: Their Current State and Future Needs

Abstract

City cemeteries are one of the typical parts of cities that can play several important roles in the life and development of a city. Some are located on the outskirts, others near the centres of modern cities. They should be carefully included in the city's development plans to exploit their potential in terms of isolated green spaces. However, most municipal authorities usually pay very limited attention to them, and the background of the Czech secularised society also has a significant effect on the low attendance and care of cemeteries. This leads to neglected care for them and vandalism in these areas. The article aims to find out the interest in cemeteries among the general public and focus on their further use in the city for their sustainability. The research focused on the cemeteries of Ostrava, the third largest city in the Czech Republic, where it examined their current state and possibilities for their improvement in order to fulfil their current and future role. The identified weaknesses will help manage the transformation of cemeteries so that they remain a full-fledged part of Central European cities. The conclusions suggest architectural and other changes to cem