The Prague development company is preparing to build apartments in 12 locations

Prague - The Prague Development Company (PDS) is currently working on the preparation of residential projects in 12 locations in the metropolis. In total, up to 8,000 urban rental apartments are expected to be developed there in the future. This was stated to journalists today by PDS Director Petr Urbánek and Deputy Mayor of Prague Petr Hlaváček (for TOP 09). For some smaller projects, a designer has already been selected, while for others, PDS has announced tenders or architectural competitions. PDS is a contributory organization of the capital city.

According to Urbánek, the organization has already selected designers for the planned kindergarten in the Na hutích location in Kyje, the apartment building at the corner of Zenklova Street and Libeňský Bridge, and another building in Nové Dvory. In these cases, the preparation of projects will begin, lasting several more months, after which PDS will be able to apply for zoning and building permits.

PDS has also announced architectural competitions for the design of the planned apartment building near the Vršovice stadium Ďolíček and a building in Smíchov between Matoušova, Štefánikova, and V Botanice streets. In tenders, they are looking for designers for the first phase of a large planned construction in Dolní Počernice or a house on Peroutková Street in Jinonice.

In addition, the city organization is preparing two large projects for new residential districts. The first is set to grow near the Palmovka metro station, and the second near the planned station of the new metro line D in Nové Dvory. Among other plans, Urbánek mentioned significant construction in the Na Hutích location in Kyje, apartment buildings at Černý Most, and city-owned land in Libeň. He also referred to the potential utilization of the area around the Nádraží Braník public transport stop, where a depot and urban development could be established.

According to Urbánek, the planned projects could offer up to 850,000 square meters of floor space and around 8,000 apartments. The organization has also been tasked with preparing a proposal for financing the construction, which is still in progress. The first results could be available within a month or two, according to the director. Urbánek added that city rental housing, unlike transportation construction, is capable of generating income from rent.

Hlaváček, who will lead the candidate list of the STAN movement in this year’s municipal elections in the capital city, added that it currently seems appropriate for at least the first projects to be built by the city itself. "Despite everything that is happening, I think the city is improving," he said. Subsequently, according to him, there will be discussions about the next steps in the development of the land, during which the possibility of providing part of it to civic construction cooperatives or private developers in exchange for leaving a significant portion of the apartments to the city will be considered.

In recent years, Prague has been struggling with a housing crisis due to high housing prices. There are about 30,000 apartments owned by the city hall, including those managed by city districts, out of the original 194,000 that came into the ownership of the city after 1991. This was followed by privatizations that reduced the city fund by more than 80 percent. The current city leadership has declared that it no longer wants to sell apartments and, on the contrary, aims to increase the city fund.