The Ústí office team's architect has ended, citing a lack of support

Ústí nad Labem - The team of the City Architect's Office (KAM) in Ústí nad Labem has ceased its activities. In a statement available to ČTK, they justified this by the lack of support from politicians and insufficient cooperation from officials. On the contrary, they rejected the words of Mayor Petr Nedvědický (ANO), claiming that some team members left for family or financial reasons.

The city leadership believes they provided the KAM team with enough space. Mayor Petr Nedvědický (ANO) stated this to ČTK. He added that team members participated in several projects. He highlighted, for example, a document guiding the city on how to cultivate public spaces.

Until now, KAM operated under the Mayor's office, but a separate department is to be established. This was already proposed years ago by the opposition PRO! Ústí, which left the coalition with ANO, ODS, and PRO Zdraví a Sport in 2021 due to disagreements regarding KAM.

"Architects who brought international experience and local patriotism to Ústí are leaving due to the long-term unsustainable framework of cooperation with the city leadership," the statement reads. Three chief architects and co-founders Kristina Magasaniková, Roman Prachař, and Zuzana Šikulová concluded their roles at the end of 2025, while office manager Barbora Havrlová is leaving at the end of April.

The outgoing KAM team's goal was to set rules for the conceptual and sustainable development of the city. Magasaniková mentioned, for example, a study of the courtyard in Dlouhá Street. "Our active effort brought 25 offers - this is a huge success for Ústí, as often there is only a single offer," she said. Over three years of operation, the KAM team initiated expert workshops for the high-speed train terminal, prepared documentation for the reconstruction of Lidické náměstí, the adjustment of the space in front of St. Wojciech Church and the Labe department store, proposed a unified paving principle for the city center, among others.

The departing architects believe that KAM has a purpose in Ústí, but it needs reform. "The architect's office cannot function effectively in isolation. If we learn about strategic projects, such as the athletics hall, ex-post, and if our voice is essentially not to be heard in many city projects, the meaning of our existence is exhausted," said Prachař.

"We are not leaving because we are bored with working for Ústí. We are leaving because in the current setup, where there is a lack of will for real change and communication, we can no longer take responsibility for further development. Ústí has enormous potential, but to realize it, it is not enough to have an architect's office on paper - it is necessary to truly listen to it," the architects wrote.

The city wants to create a separate department. Opposition councilor Martin Krsek stated that in 2021, his movement PRO! Ústí, which was then in a coalition with ANO, ODS, and PRO Zdraví a Sport, advocated for the establishment of KAM as a city contributory organization or a department. At that time, the establishment of KAM did not pass part of ANO and ODS. For PRO! Ústí, it was a fundamental point of the coalition agreement.