Kuřim – the largest small town in the South-Moravian Region (Czechia)

The author has dealt with a role of the small city of Kuřim (population ca. 11,000) in the suburban zone of Brno. Based on statistical data and field research, this small towns was analysed with its own activities in jobs and services to compare it with suburbanized villages almost completely reliant on commuting to the main city. Kuřim is a subordinated job centre and junction of the public transport distributing transport flows on the north-western fringe of Brno, including mutual commuting between Brno and Kuřim. Some indices like unemployment rate or education structure are expressively better at Kuřim than in Brno. On the other side, a poorer social infrastructure (in comparison with other small towns of similar size) signalizes weak central role of suburbanized small town in this sphere – except of some administrative activities. Possible losing of their own identity in view to proximity of Brno is another important factor for suburban small towns. The intensive traffic puts high demands on the road network which sometimes lags behind the population development. Future development is unclear. Kuřim grows due to the natural increase (as a consequence of earlier young families inflow), whereas the construction of flats and further immigration have been almost stopped during the economic crisis.