The construction in Prague is decided by developers, not by the residents of Prague

Prague - It is said that the construction and further development of Prague are primarily decided by the commercial interests of developers and investors, with corruption also playing a significant role, rather than the opinions and needs of the citizens of Prague. This follows from preliminary results of a survey conducted in the Czech Republic by more than fifty students from twenty different countries. The event's co-organizer, the association Arnika, informed ČTK about this in a press release today. At the end of the several-week survey, which started in May, the future experts will publish a report.
     The students focused on suburbanization, which refers to the growth of municipalities and cities, a pressing issue especially in Prague and the Central Bohemia region, according to some experts. According to earlier data from the Ministry of the Environment, 537 square kilometers of land have disappeared from the Czech soil fund between 1990 and 2006. This area is larger than the area of the capital city of Prague within its administrative borders or the area of the Most or Teplice districts. Additionally, the growth of urbanized areas is reportedly showing a dramatically increasing trend, according to the ministry.
     The survey found that in some urban areas there are many vacant apartments, even though large residential complexes are being built in those same locations. There seems to be no analysis of how many more buildings the metropolis actually needs. The municipality reportedly does not cooperate with Prague's residents during planning, nor with city districts and the Central Bohemia region. "Short-term commercially advantageous projects are prioritized," claim the future experts.
     According to the survey, the city does not necessarily need to expand at the expense of the landscape on the outskirts of Prague. An interesting location suitable for housing could be created, for example, by redeveloping former industrial sites in Vysočany. However, in the past, it has been shown that investors are not keen on sites with ecological burdens. For instance, in 2009, the company Central Group abandoned plans to build apartments on the site of a former dairy in Nusle. The reason was the remnants from industrial production, the removal of which would disproportionately increase the project's cost. The students also condemned the discussed plans for the demolition and subsequent development of the freight station in Žižkov.
     "Suburbanization in Prague is not being systematically studied or regulated by anyone. Although its modern phase has been ongoing for 20 years, we have no reports on how it affects the quality of life in the city," said Martin Skalský from Arnika.
     The students are coming to Prague with the project for the fourth time. One group focused on the central built-up areas of the metropolis, while another followed up with a survey of the city's peripheral areas. The future experts are interested in infrastructure, ecosystems, and urban planning.