Zlín residents can point out problematic areas in the city on the internet

Zlín - The residents of Zlín can express their views on public spaces in the city that they consider problematic on the internet. The civic association aArchitektura has introduced a project called Urban Interventions in the regional city. Its aim is for the public and experts to propose improvements in unsatisfactory locations, said the association's chairman Michal Babic to reporters today.
    An internet page was created for this purpose, www.mestskezasahyzlin.cz, where people can add their suggestions. Invited architects or urban planners can then respond to them. "The goal of the organizers is to enable a critical assessment of the existing public spaces in our city, to prompt its residents to reflect on the places they use daily, and to initiate a discussion about changes in those places through proposed solutions," Babic stated.
    City representatives expect to learn about neglected places or locations that are, for example, poorly cleaned or minimally grassed. "We have no restrictions. Anyone who is annoyed that there is a missing sidewalk and has to walk in dust or mud can now alert us to that location. Urban interventions will be very welcome feedback for us," said the mayor's deputy Jiří Kadeřábek (Zlín's choice). The city will then try to seek solutions within its financial capabilities according to him.
    People can send their proposals until April 18th; there are already about forty proposals on the site. The project will conclude with an exhibition of the submitted proposals and the publication of a catalog that will include all proposals. The exhibition will take place in May.
    The Urban Interventions project originated in 2007 in Bratislava and has since been implemented in Prague, Brno, Jablonec nad Nisou, and Ostrava.