“We are happy that finally we can present the draft plan to the general public,” says Petr Hlaváček, the Director of Prague Institute of Planning and Development (IPR). “The plan will be accompanied with videos, articles and other materials in the near future to help the people read it better. All information will be available online at www.iprpraha.cz/metropolitniplan. We aim at providing the interested people with enough information, so that they can help the capital create a plan to steer Prague to a successful as well as sustainable development,” adds Hlaváček.

The Metropolitan Plan offers a new perspective on urban planning. “In the last 50 years, zoning plans focused mainly on the use of individual zones – to put it simply, whether there should be a confectionery or a doctor’s office. These days, we are much more focused on how the buildings affect their vicinity, what streets, squares, and parks look like, wherever they are located, be it a quarter of villas, blocks of buildings or housing estates. The plan will now also determine how tall new buildings can be at maximum,” explains Hlaváček.

The new zoning plan has been developed since 2012 and it will be discussed for about four more years. The document sets out clear rules on the development of Prague for the next 15 to 20 years. Prague should stop sprawling to the fields on the outskirts of the city. In the future, the preferred construction sites are disused railway stations or abandoned factories within the city, which is a more environmental friendly approach. Unlike the satellite towns at the edge of Prague, the aforementioned locations are already equipped with roads, public transport, energy, plumbing, etc.

“I am happy that finally everybody could access and study one of the most important documents for the capital to which a number of objections have been raised by citizens and municipal districts. I believe that the full disclosure will allow them to see the benefits and the strengths of the draft, too. Municipal districts will also have the opportunity to prepare detailed comments based on the full version of supporting documents. At this stage, the disclosure is crucial as it allows both the general public and investors and land owners to study the draft plan. In the weeks to come, a schedule for further plan elaboration with be published, in cooperation with Prague Institute of Planning and Development (IPR),” said Petra Kolínská (Trojkoalice), the Deputy Mayor for Spatial Development and Planning.