Not only has Prague passed the Metropolitan plan in recent weeks, but the amended construction act now looks one Senate vote away from approval. That would be real progress on what investors have been asking for decades.
So I caught up online with Tomas Kaderabek of the Asociace developerů on Friday afternoon to get his take on the huge planning changes recently.
He says the biggest shift for planners and developers would result from greater simplicity and the embrac of density. That’s because the new Metropolitan Plan is far less granular, moving from dozens of land-use functions to just four. This allows for increased density and height, which are essential for creating more economical and ecological urban environments.
Also, the modernized decision-making process under the new construction law will move permitting from fragmented municipal offices to a state-managed agenda. This shift ensures the state is 100% responsible for the process, promoting consistency and reducing the administrative burden that has historically held back infrastructure project.
Municipalities should win, however, because contrary to concerns about a loss of democracy, local councils actually gain more power over their own land-use plans, says Kadeřábek. They retain the right to decide what they want for their communities, even if that means blocking a specific development.
