The architects will prepare a land study for Ostrava's Černé Louky

Ostrava - Workers from the Department of the Chief Architect of the City of Ostrava will begin working on the land study of the Černá louka area. The document should further develop the winning urban proposal by the Dutch company Maxwan. This was decided by the city councilors at their meeting today.
    The transformation of Černá louka into a new urban quarter with cultural and educational institutions alongside housing was a key project that the city unsuccessfully pursued for the title of European Capital of Culture 2015. Ostrava lost to Plzeň by one vote. The current leadership had previously declared that even in the event of a loss, they would want to continue with the project.
    According to Mayor Petr Kajnar (ČSSD), the winning proposal from Maxwan was merely an ideological study, and it is necessary to further develop, for example, some technical limitations. "It will work in detail with the height of a hundred-year flood, against which the area must be protected; it will take more into account the impact of traffic (...) These are all things that need to be pushed further," Kajnar explained.
    Initially, the city anticipated that Maxwan would prepare the land study directly. However, it turned out that the city could not assign any subsequent development directly to any of the competition participants but would have to announce a public procurement. Any potential collaboration between the city's architects and Maxwan is only possible if the Dutch company offers consultation to the city for free.
    Kajnar added that the city considers the entire project to be of high quality and reminded that it can be realized gradually. The Maxwan proposal includes an area with a park surrounded by buildings that create something like a horseshoe around the central area.
    The city had previously approved that they would support the transformation of the Černá louka exhibition grounds with two billion crowns. Architect and member of the Ostrava 2015 team Adam Gebrian said on Monday that for two billion, a significant part of the originally planned constructions could be realized. By 2015, it will be possible to demolish unnecessary buildings on the site, construct a park, and create four of the planned buildings - a center for contemporary music, a creative incubator, a kunsthalle, and possibly a concert hall. Gebrian is convinced that this part can indeed be realized for the two billion promised by the city.
    From today's statements by city officials, it follows that the approved funds to support the project are still counted on. If the new city leadership emerging from the autumn elections wants to change this decision, it would have to either revoke the current leadership's decision or, for example, accept a different budget outlook.