World experts will discuss affordable housing in Prague

Prague - World experts will discuss the availability of housing and the future of cities in Prague starting today. This is the main topic of this year's international conference reSITE 2018, which is being held for the seventh time. Over two days, fifty speakers will present at the Forum Karlín in Prague, including Mexican architect Michel Rojkind and professor of urban studies at the London School of Economics Richard Burdett. The press agency ČTK announced this information from the non-profit organization reSITE, which is organizing the conference.

“This year, reSITE will focus on the relationship between housing and quality of life and entirely new ways of living in cities. We will address housing accessibility and look for examples of cultural and architectural projects that elevate our lifestyle,” stated reSITE chairman Martin Barry.

According to the organizers, the question is how to design cities that meet the needs of everyone. Recently, large cities have been particularly grappling with the problem of affordable housing and so-called gentrification, which refers to the changes brought about by wealthier people purchasing residential real estate in less prosperous communities. “On one hand, we have many people who cannot afford their own apartment. And then there are people who buy apartments as investments and leave them empty,” said Dutch designer Reinier de Graaf in a recent interview for the newspaper E15, which is one of the media partners of the conference.

Developers confirmed the growing interest in purchasing new apartments as investments in a January ČTK survey. According to Central Group, Czechs are increasingly among investors in apartments, with investing in real estate becoming a new national sport for them. The company Ekospol reported that it has now sold 40 percent of its apartments for investment, while two years ago it was one-fifth. A majority of these investors want to rent the apartments out to third parties. According to Finep, the growing interest in investment housing responds to the current situation in the new apartment market. There is a huge shortage of them in Prague. However, according to data from the development company Trigema, the supply of older apartments is also decreasing, and the insufficient supply of both new and older apartments is driving up housing costs in Prague. The average prices of older apartments rose year-on-year by 11.3 percent to 82,710 crowns per square meter by the end of March and are about 10,000 crowns lower than those of new builds.

The new guest curator of the conference is author and urbanist Greg Lindsay, who has previously appeared at reSITE. According to him, affordable housing is the most painful issue facing today's cities. “What we love most about cities has turned them into a luxury item. The right to the city begins with the right to housing, which is why we need to develop strategies, technologies, and protective mechanisms that allow for housing creation for all residents—fairly, sustainably, and without discrimination,” said Lindsay regarding this year’s conference topic.

One of the main lectures on the 360-degree stage at the Forum Karlín will be held by Mexican former drummer Michel Rojkind, who was named by Wallpaper magazine as one of the “150 movers, shakers, and creators who have transformed the world in the last 15 years.” His latest completed project is the Foro Boca concert and cultural hall in Mexico, and he previously drew attention with his installations Portal of Awareness made from Nescafé cups. Architect Jeanne Gang from Chicago will discuss how the American dream of housing is changing. Amsterdam's night mayor, Mirik Milan, will explain why and how the Dutch metropolis institutionalized nightlife.

Hundreds of people participate in the reSITE conference each year. This year, organizers expect a thousand guests, including city leaders, architects, designers, representatives from development companies, politicians, and civic initiatives. A new feature this year was discounted admission for women, which organizers hoped would contribute to gender balance in the field.