Praha is currently building housing minimally, but has big plans for thousands of apartments

Prague – Residential buildings for rental housing in Prague are currently being constructed mainly by the city districts, while the city hall is preparing housing development. It plans to build thousands of apartments and has established a contributory organization, Prague Development Company (PDS), which is responsible for project preparation. The new apartments are intended for people in need, seniors, the disabled, single mothers, or representatives of professions important for the city, such as healthcare workers, teachers, firefighters, and police officers.

According to the latest analysis by the city's Institute of Planning and Development, Prague currently has approximately 29,800 apartments, of which 22,600 are managed by city districts and 7,200 by the city hall. The city leadership wants to increase the number of municipal rental apartments due to the housing crisis, as stated in the current coalition's program declaration of Spolu, Pirates, and STAN.

However, the city has hardly built any apartments yet; since 2019, according to IPR data, about 50 to 60 have been built annually by the city districts. For example, Prague 12 recently started building a residential building with 29 municipal apartments in Modřany, as well as the construction of a building with 50 units in Kolovraty. In the last decade, the city hall has initiated only one housing project, a pair of buildings with 28 apartments in Černý Most, which should be completed soon.

Nonetheless, according to IPR figures, the number of municipal apartments in Prague has been gradually decreasing in recent years, mainly due to ongoing privatizations. These are now rarely approved by the city hall or city districts, although Prague 3 is still completing the sales of residential buildings approved in the past.

Even though the city is not currently building any apartments, it has significant ambitions in this area. The city hall has gradually entrusted its company PDS with land designated for construction, which, according to last year's annual report of the organization, covers about 90 hectares, and in more than two dozen projects, up to 8,000 apartments are to be built on them.

Currently, PDS is preparing housing projects for building permit applications in Černý Most, Dolní and Horní Počernice, Jinonice, Vršovice, and Nové Dvory near the future metro station D. Last year, it submitted applications for project approvals for Jalový Dvůr in Prague 4, Nový Zlíchov, Peroutkova, and V Botanice in Prague 5, in Zenklova Street in Palmovka in Prague 8, and for the first phase of construction in Dolní Počernice.

This year, construction of the Peroutkova and Jalový Dvůr buildings should start, for example. The city plans large projects with hundreds of apartments in Dolní Počernice, in Nové Dvory near the future metro station D, or in Modřany. The city established PDS in 2020 specifically for the purpose of preparing housing projects on municipal land. It is also responsible for preparing the project for the planned Philharmonic in Vltavská, whose construction should begin next year or the year after.

In recent years, Prague has been struggling with a housing crisis caused by high housing prices. Privatization after 1991 reduced the municipal fund by over 80 percent from the original number of about 194,000 apartments to the current approximately 31,000. The city hall leadership wants to increase the number of apartments again, ensuring accessible rental housing, for example, for people in difficult social situations or those from professions crucial for the functioning of the metropolis.