Brno has a housing strategy: to build up to 200 apartments annually, among other things for young people

photo: http://petrhladik.cz/o-mne/

Brno - Brno wants to build up to 200 apartments per year for seniors, young people, the disabled, and poorer individuals. This is part of the housing strategy for the years 2018-2030, which was approved by the city council today. The aim is to attract new residents to the city. The mayor's deputy, Petr Hladík (KDU-ČSL), told ČTK that it should amount to about 150 to 200 new apartments each year. In addition, Brno plans to invest in infrastructure so that private investors can build apartments. The city's plans also include the reconstruction of buildings in poor condition, a transition from local to central heating, and the introduction of cooperative housing.

Forty-one councilors voted for the strategy, no one opposed it, and four communists abstained. Hladík said that the city has a problem with people moving away and living within a 50-kilometer radius in cities like Kuřim or Tišnov, where housing is cheaper. This leads to two problems for Brno: first, the population is not increasing, and second, there are transportation issues because many people commute for school, work, and culture, causing traffic jams. "There are about 100,000 such people daily," Hladík stated.

Brno owns about 30,000 apartments, which is around 15 percent of the total number of apartments in the city. The rest are privately owned. According to Hladík, about 1,000 apartments are currently being built each year, both in the private sector and by the city. Hladík indicated that in the long run, the city should be building 1,500 to 2,000 apartments annually while maintaining a 15 percent share. Each year, the city plans to invest about 300 million in infrastructure to prepare for construction projects, in order to attract private investors.

The city also wants to build social housing for the poor, starter apartments for young families, as well as housing for seniors or people with disabilities. It plans to introduce cooperative housing as well. People who are working but cannot obtain a mortgage would join a cooperative with the city. The cooperative would take out a mortgage, use it to build a house, and after the mortgage is paid off, the apartments would be transferred to the people. The first cooperative apartments could begin construction later this year on Valchařská Street. Other locations include Kaménky, Kamenný vrch, or Červený kopec. Brno will also be repairing its own apartments in poor condition. "We want to motivate owners in our and private properties to transition from local heating systems to central heating and to combine heat pumps or photovoltaics with thermal uses of light energy," Hladík added.