Florenc will be a place for people. The council approved the results of the urban planning competition

Prague is on the way to transforming the desolate area around Florence. The Council of the Capital City of Prague today approved the results of the international urban competition Florenc21, which was announced together with the city, investors ČSAD Praha holding and Masaryk Station Development, and with the support of the Institute of Planning and Development (IPR) in the spring of 2021. The next step is to discuss changes to the zoning plan and to finalize a memorandum between the Capital City of Prague and both investors.

In December of last year, the winner for the new form of Florence was announced at the Centre for Architecture and Urban Planning (CAMP). The winning team consisted of architectural studios UNIT architects, A69 - architects, and MARKO&PLACEMAKERS. The second place was shared by the Swiss tandem agps Architecture and Atelier Girot, IBV Hüsler, and the Dutch de Architekten Cie., LOLA Landscape Architects with the Czech studio M2AU.

"Today we approved the results of the international urban competition Florenc21, which moves us into the next phase of the project’s implementation. Based on the winning proposal, an urban study will be finalized, incorporating regulatory elements for the addressed area, which will be part of the memorandum between the Capital City of Prague and both investors. Prague residents were also able to submit their ideas about what they expect from the transformation and what problems they are most concerned about. Involving the public in this way before selecting the winning proposal is unique in the Czech environment. In the capital city, we aim to transform the city according to current and future challenges and modern ways of life. Urban spaces must be created for people and measured by a human scale,” says Mayor Zdeněk Hřib.

“The international urban competition Florenc 21 met my expectations. For the competitors, we were a tough but fair opponent and I am convinced that together we achieved our set goals. We have a winner with whom we will continue to work in vision for the development of the area and help fulfill the potential of the territory. I am very pleased that we successfully completed the competition and that we embarked on this challenging yet enriching path with investors, institutions, city districts, and all other colleagues, and I look forward to a similar approach in other locations in Prague. In conclusion, I would like to express my great thanks to everyone involved for their tremendous efforts during the nearly year-long competition and I look forward to further cooperation,” comments Petr Hlaváček, First Deputy Mayor for Urban Development.

In the coming months, changes to the zoning plan of the transformative area of Masaryk Station and the Florenc bus station will be discussed. Before discussing zoning plan changes at the HMP Council, an agreement on contributions will be made between Prague and both investors. At the same time, the capital city of Prague will establish cooperation on an ideological level with the other two finalists who equally placed second.

“We also have two second teams with very high-quality proposals, with which the City of Prague intends to collaborate in the area of the magistral and park in Těšnov, as they caught the jury's attention with their conceptual approach. With team no. 50, we will develop short-term measures and medium-term adjustments to the north-south magistral, keeping it on the viaduct. Team no. 55 will work on the study for the revitalization of the park in Těšnov, with the possibility of placing a new cultural building, such as the archaeological museum of the Capital City of Prague,” adds Deputy Hlaváček.

“The urban competition for the new form of Florence is an example of how the city and investors can be mutual partners within individual projects. Not only does such a partnership expedite complex urban processes, but it ultimately has a positive impact especially on the quality of life for people in the city,” comments Petr Zeman, chair of the Council for Urban Development.
“This is one of the most interesting brownfields in Prague. In terms of area, it is heavily burdened by traffic from virtually all sides, being in the very center of Prague. It is all the more significant that we have all found common ground on how to turn this forgotten place into a modern part of the metropolis,” confirmed Petr Palička, executive director of Penta Real Estate.

“We are pleased that the international urban competition Florenc 21, which we were part of, has come to an end and has shown us what the Florence area could look like in the future and how it is possible to integrate the Florenc bus station into the new city quarter. However, there is still a long way to go before achieving the final result, and it will require the effort and cooperation of all stakeholders to reach the moment when the visions arising from this competition can be realized,” says Pavel Vráblík, ČSAD Praha Holding.

After the memorandum is concluded between the city and the investors, and after discussing and, if approved, changing the zoning plan, project activities for individual building blocks, public spaces, and buildings can begin. The actual transformation of the area could start in about 5 years, and the reconstruction of the bus station will follow in a later phase, which could begin to be realized within 10 years.

“It is a pleasure to see how urban and architectural competitions have been advancing in Prague in recent years, with Florenc21, which took place in the form of a unique competitive workshop involving the public, being a successful example of this. I would be very pleased if the architectural form of the adjacent buildings in this area were also developed through a competition,” concludes IPR Prague director Ondřej Boháč.

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