Prague has announced an international landscape and urban planning competition for the suburban park Soutok — Stavební forum
8/15/2022
The river landscape at the confluence of the Berounka and the Vltava in Prague represents a huge natural potential. However, the territory with an area of over 1,000 hectares does not have a clear landscape concept and development rules. The Institute of Planning and Development (IPR) thus announced an international competition for the design of the Soutok suburban park. Its goal is to select a team of developers who can design the future form of this river landscape and its long-term development in the form of a suburban park.
The area of the confluence of the Berounka and Vltava rivers, which is divided between the five urban districts of the capital city of Prague and the central Bohemian city of Černošice, is mainly made up of a flood plain without normal construction development, but with a great opportunity for the development of suburban recreation, a sustainable and naturally highly valuable river landscape. In addition to romantic places with a meandering river, here we can find neglected brownfields, large agricultural areas, golf courses, logistics areas or wetlands and water bodies.
“The area we are talking about is currently divided into several parts and suffers from the absence of a long-term development concept that someone would fulfill. There is a danger that partial insensitive interventions could lead to irreversible devastation of the last remnants of the river landscape in Prague. The competition that we have announced will help to integrate this neglected space back into the lives of not only the people of Prague,” says Petr Hlaváček, 1st Deputy Mayor for Territorial Development.
A long-term cooperation contract will be concluded with the winning landscape architect or urban planner on the creation of a “plan guide” for the landscape and the establishment of the Soutok suburban park. This will be a guide on how to further maintain the entire area. It should include restoration of the surroundings of both rivers, flood protection in Lipenci – Dolní Černošice, reconstruction of existing and design of new footbridges, provision of parking and public transport links, and a proposal for a safe connection between Zbraslavi and Radotín for pedestrians and cyclists.
“We certainly welcome this initiative, as you can contribute to adapting to the adverse effects of a changing climate. It is a valuable area that is potentially a recreational area for citizens,” says Eva Tylová, deputy mayor of the Prague 12 district.
“I am very happy about the Soutok suburban park project, for two reasons. Firstly, this part is about cross-border cooperation between the Central Bohemian Region and Prague, and secondly, as part of the revitalization, the area around the footbridge in Dolní Černošice will be landscaped. In addition to the reconstruction of the footbridge, the entry point Černošice will also bring a PID bus stop or a solution to the evacuation point for Dolní Černošice,” says Filip Kořínek, mayor of Černošice.
“At the beginning of the Soutok suburban park project, local governments stood. We are very well aware of the potential of the valuable suburban landscape and at the same time we are also well aware of the possible threats arising from the unconceptual use of the valuable suburban landscape. I consider the fact that the project is now entering the competition phase a great success and another step towards fulfilling the obligation of responsible care for the place where we live. It is a great honor to be a member of the jury,” says Zuzana Vejvodová, mayor of the Prague-Zbraslav district.
“The Praha-Lipence district appreciates and supports the idea of the Soutok suburban park, which it considers to be an ideal use of the extensive floodplain. We welcome the announcement of an international competition. Its result should solve a number of long-term problems of the people of Lipno and at the same time create a quality landscape for recreation for citizens from a wide area.” says Lenka Kadlecová, mayor of the Praha-Lipence district.
The project is based on the Memorandum on cooperation in the development and future use of the area around the confluence of the Berounka and Vltava rivers closed between the capital m Prague, local districts and the city of Černošice. “From negotiations and participation with stakeholders in the area, it follows that most small owners want to become part of the suburban park. On the basis of the winning design of the competition, it will be determined which plots of land will need to be bought out, leased on a long-term basis or treated with a cooperation agreement. The winning proposal will be announced in April of next year, after which a contract will be signed with the winner of the competition to finalize the outputs.” adds Ondřej Boháč, director of IPR.
The ambition of the suburban park is to create a management tool that will ensure the purposeful development of the Soutok area as a whole. The project responds to the deepening manifestations of climate change in Prague and will be a “laboratory of transformation” for the open landscape. Its goal is to propose and complete measures from the HMP Adaptation Strategy to climate change, such as strengthening flood protection, slowing down the runoff of surface water, ensuring the revitalization of floodplains or changing the form of suburban agriculture and increasing the absorption of solar radiation.
The suburban park will ensure the protection and development of the natural values of the landscape, will educate, show connections and look for solutions that help keep the city livable. It will ensure synergistic management of the area and become part of the multi-functional system of green infrastructure of the capital. m of Prague and the Central Bohemian Region. The target group of the project are the citizens of the capital. m of Prague and the Central Bohemian Region, who will benefit from an increase in the long-term resistance of the territory to climate change.
The announced competition is part of the project The suburban park as a tool for reducing the impacts of climate change (NF–SFŽP 3204200017) and is financed from EEA and Norway funds 2014–2021, CZ-ENVIRONMENT program.
source: INSTITUTE OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CAPITAL CITY OF PRAGUE