On I. P. Pavlov Square, an Open Stage has been created

photo:CCEA

Prague - The large-scale painting directly on I. P. Pavlova Square was created by the artist Patrik Hábl. For 14 days, the painted street will serve as the Open Stage, where numerous performances, concerts, workshops, and exhibitions will take place. They aim to bring people into the space between the two parts of the boulevard to consider how this traffic-exposed and pedestrian-unfriendly place could be transformed.
The Centre for Central Europe Architecture CCEA (Centre for Central Europe Architecture), which is organizing the event, has been working on the transformation of the boulevard since 2009. They want to demonstrate how the boulevard could look - not as a multi-lane road exclusively for cars speeding through the city center, but as a wide urban boulevard with many functions.
At the Open Stage, a bike rental, café, and refreshments will operate every day until August 10. The program starts at 10:00 and lasts until 22:00, with evenings dedicated to music, theater, or film screenings. A flash mob, a brief gathering of people at one location with a specific, more or less bizarre theme or motivation, is scheduled every day at 19:00. Interested individuals will have access to the Book of Great Changes, where they can write their comments or suggestions on how Prague's boulevard could be transformed.
Organizers propose to gradually calm down the boulevard and integrate it into the life of the city. They believe this is a better option than the previous idea from politicians and officials to sink the road near the National Museum underground. A step towards calming traffic could include narrowing the boulevard by one lane or reducing the maximum allowed speed. The highway, which uniquely runs through the city center compared to similar cities, lacks pedestrian crossings, making it difficult for people to live near it; it is also home to elementary and kindergarten schools.
The districts of Prague 2, 4, and 7 advocate for calming the boulevard, and the Office of Public Space, established approximately six months ago at the Urban Development Department of the City of Prague at the initiative of the current mayor Tomáš Hudeček, also expresses its interest in these changes. "Public space is primary, thus transportation and technical infrastructure should adapt to it. Life in the city is what architecture and urbanism are about," stated the office manager, architect Pavla Melková.