Urbanist from Hamburg: Prague has a perfect Metropolitan Plan
Prague needs affordable housing and the Vltava Philharmonic. The Alpha and Omega for the development of the Czech metropolis is undoubtedly the Metropolitan Plan. “None of the European capitals has such a well-developed plan. It was created on the basis of valid data, in cooperation with many other concerned institutions,” says well-known urban planner Peter Gero in an interview for Newstream.
Does Prague need the Vltava Philharmonic?
Undoubtedly, and not only Prague. The Vltava Philharmonic is an extremely important undertaking for the entire region of Central Europe, for the entire cultural background, of which Prague is the center.
Not only the domestic architectural community has been calling for the construction of a public building in Prague for a long time. The last attempt was the Jan Kaplický National Library project on Letná. Has it changed so much since then that the philharmonic project can be completed?
Not only has there been a generational change in the leadership of the city, the times have also changed at the same time. In the Czech Republic, I feel more courage and an awareness that Prague is not only the historic hundred-spired headquarters of Central Europe, but that it brings with it a much stronger cultural message. This reflex comes not only from the city management, but increasingly from the new generation of architects that grew up after 1989. They are more self-confident and have lost their shyness thanks to learning about foreign countries. I think the discussion about the library today is very different than it was then.
The Vltava Philharmonic: It should be up and running within 10 years and will become a symbol of Prague, says the city planner
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Not only the architecture, but also the solution of the public space were the main aspects of the selection of the expert committee, which was looking for the ideal design of the Vltava Philharmonic. The winner is now known. The prestigious building on the Vltava will be designed by the Danish studio Bjarke Ingels. The design of the Czech architect Petr Hájek also made it into the top five of the best projects.
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Prague is changing
Does Prague need modern architecture?
Cities are like the interior of an apartment or house, so they need to be aired out from time to time. Neither at home nor in the city can you dwell on how it looks in my space for a long time. A breath of fresh air and new ideas is needed. And I perceive this attitude in contemporary Prague. Specifically, that he reorients himself and perceives what is happening around him.
Isn’t affordable housing a much more fundamental task than building the Vltava Philharmonic?
I don’t think it has anything to do with each other. Prague needs both. In case of unavailability of apartments, one should think about why rents in Prague are actually so high? There is simply a shortage of them and it will continue to be so, because the efficiency of construction is hindered by complicated legislation.
Who should initiate construction? In Prague, it is mainly the private sector.
That’s how it works everywhere. Prague is not exceptional in this regard. The private versus public sector differs in that ratio.
Nevertheless, the word developer still has a negative connotation in the country. Does it work that way in Germany too?
It doesn’t work. And I have such an interesting explanation for it, which is more related to the essence of language. In the Czech Republic, you have your own expression for almost anything, be it football, October, basketball. But precisely where you come across some kind of emotional component, you don’t have a Czech equivalent. This is exactly what happens in the case of the word developer, which at first glance seems foreign and by its very nature carries with it a negative meaning. At the same time, there may be a tendency in the Czech Republic to throw all developers in the same bag. But you have one more specific, very important and essentially very positive.
Prague plans to build thousands of apartments and new neighborhoods. The private sector could also help
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Up to eight thousand rental apartments could be built within ten years on city plots with an area of more than 600 thousand square meters. The construction is initiated by the city contribution organization Pražská developerská společnost (PDS). The plans were presented by its director Petr Urbanek and the deputy mayor of Prague Petr Hlaváček (for TOP09).
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Czech developers are mainly active in Prague
What do you think?
As far as I know, even funds from Arabia or elsewhere have little effect on you. That is, those who come, build and leave, do not have much effect on you. Your developers are anchored in the Czech area, they are always behind a number of projects, thus building their brand. This has several advantages, they continuously improve the environment in which they do business and at the same time, thanks to their previous experience, they can more easily understand the attitude of the cities with whom I have to negotiate.
Isn’t it a detriment to Prague if companies from abroad do not participate in its development?
To some extent yes. But on the other hand, historical Prague was never as international as, for example, Hamburg, a port city. He accepts a foreign element on a small scale such as Tančící dům Prague, but not on a larger scale. Besides, we don’t really need Prague.
The fact that there are no foreign developers operating here, but can it also be caused to some extent by the not very transparent environment here? I am now referring, for example, to the Metropolitan Plan or the Construction Act, which has not yet been approved.
The metropolitan plan is the alpha and omega of all construction, and honestly, none of the European metropolises has such a well-developed plan. It was created on the basis of valid data, in cooperation with many other institutions concerned, and it also provides room for dynamic development.
High-rise construction in Prague needs to be regulated
How does construction regulate management in Hamburg?
In Hamburg, they have a personal approach to regulations in the sense that specific people are responsible for development. Flexibility is, of course, corrected in some regulations, but it is not as methodically given a framework as could be set by the Metropolitan Plan in Prague.
The metropolitan plan also brought with it critical voices regarding, above all, the regulation of high-rise construction. How do you perceive her?
The discussion about high-rise construction is especially legitimate in Prague due to its history. There are places where it should be strictly regulated, and conversely places where the rules could be looser. Like, for example, Pankrác. However, high-rise construction must be regulated primarily with regard to the outside.
What do you mean?
The methodology for high-rise construction in Prague can also be created by looking at the importance of access roads. Determining which of these entrance highways, whether from the south of Brno or perhaps from the east of Počernice, is the most important thing. To return to height, it does not always bring prosperity. The most valuable thing for life in the city is public space and its quality. In this respect too, Prague has the most – a tram. The metro is a business, the tram is a city-building element.
Peter Gero
A native of Bratislava, he is one of the leading European urban planners. His life is primarily connected with the German city of Hamburg, where he signed, for example, the creation of the modern Hafen City district. In Prague, as a consultant, he participates, for example, in the development of a brownfield in Žižkov.
We must learn to densify cities and live in smaller apartments, says the architect
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Inflation and rising prices of building materials will also affect the domestic construction industry and architecture this year. According to architect Jana Mastíková, this development can also have a positive impact – a change in thinking and attitude. “Architecture should be sober and above all it should serve well. It’s about useful art, it’s a craft, it’s not a personal exhibition at all costs,” says Mastíková in an interview.
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A skyscraper can bring new energy to Ostrava, says architect Chybík
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The architectural studio Chybik+Kristof has signed many projects, from residential buildings to public or experimental ones such as the Manifesto food market in Prague. Architects from Brno have also been awarded many times for their work, most recently they impressed the jury of the prestigious MIPIM Awards with the Lahofer Winery project. “Awareness is created not only about us, but also about Czech architecture, but also about the fact that wine is produced in Moravia. I consider that very important,” says one of the studio’s founders, Ondřej Chybík, in an interview with newstream.cz.
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