People in Ostrava are decreasing and the residents are aging

"When I left Ostrava, I was really looking forward to Prague. I felt that there was nothing new waiting for me in Ostrava..." Zuzana Kajnarová

Ostrava - In six years, Ostrava will have a sixth less population than now, and among them, there will be a significantly larger proportion of people aged over 65. This follows from an analysis prepared for the city by the company Proces. The mayor's deputy Jiří Srba (ČSSD) said at a press conference today that the city is addressing how to stop or slow down the negative trends in population decline.
Since 1990, the population of Ostrava has decreased from 331,000 to 306,000. According to the analysis, by 2050 only 262,500 people will live in the city. "Other cities are also struggling with population decline. The problem, however, is what type of residents are leaving Ostrava and why," said Proces expert Lubor Hruška-Tvrdý.
The analysis shows that younger people are primarily moving out of Ostrava. While 795 people moved from Ostrava to Prague between 1996 and 2000, between 2006 and 2010 that number had risen to 3,037. However, most Ostravans do not move that far; they are heading to towns close to the city limits, where they are building houses.
"A lot of residents are moving beyond the district borders, yet they still work in the city, come here for entertainment, and spend their earned money. Therefore, it is necessary to designate certain areas for the construction of family houses within the city," said Deputy Srba. According to him, this needs to be considered in the new zoning plan, which should be created within two years.
Srba stated that the city also needs so-called starter apartments, where young people who find work in Ostrava and do not yet have their own families could live. "One of the reasons people come to Ostrava is housing, the other is work. If they can be balanced, there will be people in the city," said Hruška-Tvrdý.
Ostrava will have to deal with an aging population. "The younger and middle generations are moving out of the city, while the older generation tends to stay. It is important to remember this and create conditions for their living, which means providing enough rental apartments at a reasonable price," said the mayor's deputy Srba. Therefore, the city must find places suitable for conversion into apartments for seniors.