IPR is looking for a new director for the department responsible for urban planning

Prague - The Prague Institute of Planning and Development (IPR) is looking for a new director of the section responsible for urban planning. Its current head, Roman Koucký, has left, but remains at IPR. The director of the institute, Petr Hlaváček, will address his further involvement with the new head of the city planning section. Adam Švejda, the institute's spokesperson, informed ČTK about this today. IPR is a professional body of the capital city responsible for research activities in the field of urban planning and development from the perspective of urbanism and architecture.

One of its main tasks has been to develop a new land use plan, known as the metropolitan plan, which will determine what can be built where in the capital. Prague must have it approved by 2020 at the latest. The preparation of the new plan has thus far cost the city about 50 million crowns. Last week, IPR submitted it for evaluation to the officials.

"A quality land use plan is an essential tool for ensuring reasonable and sustainable development of Prague. However, we are only halfway there - we are now concluding the phase of intensive preparation of the new Metropolitan Plan proposal. Ahead of us are still four years of equally intense social discussion about that proposal," said IPR director Petr Hlaváček.

According to him, the institute is now looking for an expert to fill the position of section head, who will facilitate the discussion on the metropolitan plan. "We are entering a phase where, perhaps more than expertise and vision, the ability to reconcile various viewpoints and seek consensus solutions is needed," added Hlaváček. IPR is accepting applications from interested individuals until the end of July, and according to Švejda, the name of the winner should be known shortly thereafter.

There has been speculation in the media about the dismissal of Koucký, the main author of the metropolitan plan, as well as director Hlaváček. The IPR leadership has also been criticized by the mayor. "No one questions that Petr Hlaváček is an expert. Unfortunately, the audit showed that IPR is not well-managed and lacks a capable manager. The shortcomings were really fundamental. What will determine the future functioning of IPR is the state of the metropolitan plan," said Adriana Krnáčová (ANO). Over 1800 people signed a petition in support of Hlaváček, and he is defended by his subordinates.

IPR was formed from the City Development Department under Mayor Tomáš Hudeček (independent, then TOP 09). The institute is tasked, among other things, with preparing a new land use plan and planning the city's development. IPR positions itself as a professional body focused on research in the fields of architecture, urbanism, development, creation, and management of the city. The annual budget is about 300 million crowns.