Prokop (YES 2011): Looking back on the activities of the current leadership of the capital m of Prague in the field of housing policy
Dear Praguers, those of you who have been following my comments on living in Prague for a long time may recall the difficulties surrounding the approval of the Affordable Cooperative Housing project prepared by Councilor Hana Kordová Marvanová.
There was not much missing and the project did not have to be implemented at all. The city administration wanted to put it on ice and changed its mind only after urgent interventions. I am therefore very pleased that it has now moved on to the next phase: the city, in cooperation with the Institute of Planning and Development and with the support of the city districts, is preparing the land on which the construction will take place.
A lot of important changes have been made during the current parliamentary term, and as I remember, I would like to recall the most important ones.
A huge step forward was the establishment of the Prague Development Company. Its main current task is to prepare urban land for the construction of municipal housing, which will take place in the form of PPP, ie on the basis of cooperation between the public and private sectors. The pilot project should bring approximately 1,380 new city apartments.
As for the newly established institutions, on the contrary, I am somewhat embarrassed by the establishment of the Municipal Rental Agency, which mediates the rental of privately owned apartments to people in need of housing. Since too much interest from the owners is unlikely, I’m not sure because this project will pay off for the city.
An important systemic effort was also the development of the Methodology of Developer Contribution, which sets uniform rules for the participation of developers in the construction and repair of schools, kindergartens, playgrounds, clinics and other elements of civic amenities. Regardless of this opinion, I would still have a systemic solution to amend the Act on the Budget Determination of Taxes so that, for example, part of the VAT paid by developers is returned directly to local governments, construction has taken place in the region.
Another document aimed at improving the availability of housing in the metropolis is the Housing Development Strategy. Something like this has been missing from the city for a long time, it is a pity that its creators set goals so small in the area of housing construction that they will not stop deepening the deficit.
However, the activities of the Prague leadership are not limited to the capital itself: Only thanks to councilors has the proposal to regulate short-term leases returned to the game, which will be dealt with by the new House of Representatives.
Lots of positive changes are also taking place at the local level. In Prague 11, for example, Hotel Opatov – the twin of the former Sandra hostel, which was in danger of demolition, was saved. The municipality, which owns it, eventually acknowledged under pressure that the best solution would be to repair the building. However, the start of reconstruction work is still awaited … One of the latest innovations is the planned modification of Trojmezí – a long untreated green area lying between Prague 4, 10, 11 and 15. This Monday, the Capital City Council decided to commission a landscape study Institute of Planning and Development Prague. The aim is to prepare a project that will turn an ugly locality into a place for active recreation of Praguers.
Things have started to move, and even if we see (and settle in) tangible results in the future, I dare to be cautiously optimistic. However, many important tasks are still awaiting implementation – at random the approval of a metropolitan plan, which will follow the method of planning from the time of the city’s greatest expansion. It is very useful that the current management of Prague will no longer be able to decide on it. It is therefore important that the successors of today’s councilors continue the trend. Which of the following changes do you think is the most beneficial for Prague and why?
I look forward to your comments and discussion below this post.
Taken from a politician’s profile.
- YES 2011
- Spatial Planning
The article was taken from the Profile of Ing. Ondřej Prokop
Are you a politician? Publish everything you want without editing. Register here.
Are you a reader and want to communicate with your representatives? Register here.
Expected composition of the new government:
Prime Minister: Petr Fiala (ODS), Ministry of Interior: Vít Rakušan (STAN), Minister for Regional Development and Digitization: Ivan Bartoš (Pirates), Department of Agriculture: Zdenek Nekula (KDU-CSL), Ministry of Finance: Zbynek Stanjura (ODS), Ministry of Health: Vlastimil Valek (TOP09), Ministry of Education: Petr Gazdik (STAN), Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs: Marian Jurecka (KDU-CSL), Ministry of Defense: Jana Cernochova (ODS), Department of Justice: Pavel Blazek (ODS), Ministry of Industry and Trade: Josef Sikela (BPP), Ministry of Transportation: Martin Kupka (ODS), Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Jan Lipavsky (Pirates), Ministry of the Environment: Anna Hubackova (BPP), Ministry of Culture: Martin Baxa (ODS), Minister for European Affairs: Mikulas Bek (BPP), Minister for Legislation: Michal Solomon (BPP), Ministry of Science and Research: Helena Langsadlova (TOP09).
author: PV