Assessment of Urban Geotourism Resources: An Example of Two Geocultural Sites in Brno, Czech Republic

Geodiversity and geoheritage within urban areas have some specific characteristics in comparison to those in natural and rural areas. They influence and are influenced by urban development, they are strongly modified by human activities and they are usually closely related to the culture, architecture and history (cultural heritage). Geoheritage (especially geosites or geoheritage ex situ) is the most important resource for urban geotourism development, together with cultural heritage represented by monuments built of stone or Earth materials. Nevertheless, other sites that are not included in geoheritage inventories may be relevant too. Analysing, inventorying and assessing sites of geotourist interest (including the related aspects) within urban areas can bring new possibilities to the development of geotourism and geoeducational activities. These can help the acceptance of geoconservation measures to particular sites which are often problematic in the urban areas and justify the sustainable management of these resources. The paper briefly presents the issues and opportunities of urban geotourism, and it offers guidelines for identifying, inventorying and assessing geotourist and geoeducational resources within urban areas accompanied by SWOT analysis. Two examples – geocultural sites Spilberk and Petrov (Brno City, Czech Republic) – are presented.