Planning in the Prague region: Past, present and future

Abstract

This article examines the changing nature of environmental planning in Prague, a city which has seen immense political and economic change in the past few years; the city will also certainly see great physical change in the next decade, but the role and effectiveness of planning is still open to question. In order to understand these changes it is necessary to explore the past and identify the legacy of problems which the city planners face. The tensions which are apparent are illustrated by looking at three areas of concern: environmental pollution, the historic core and suburban greenspace. In each of these areas the new contexts of privatization of the economy, restitution of private property and decentralization/liberalization of government mean that the ability of the planning system to address issues directly is heavily constrained. For the future, planning needs to be able to facilitate investment in new developments and rehabilitation of old without allowing the freedom of the market to damage the environment and heritage even further.