How to Design a Fair-Shared City? Prague, Czech Republic

In Central Europe, the architectural and urban planning practice usually serves well those who are healthy and economically active. But when we consider demographics, working and economically active people only make up just over half of urban population. Senior citizens and young people under 18 years of age complete the whole. Trends also show that our population is ageing and when we overlay gender and ethnicity, the user groups significantly diverge. Each of them has different needs.

How do we ensure a city that offers a fair-share to everyone?

How to Design a Fair Shared City? offers 8 simple and captivating stories of different heroes representing wider user groups of our population. Two fictional characters, architect Erik and Sophia will lead us through story of a girl, a mother, an elderly woman or a couple, kids or common visitors using high profile urban areas to remind us of daily situations when design by default can be a significant obstacle. On the other hand, they will offer solutions on how thoughtful design can significantly improve the quality of urban life - with no extra costs necessary.

This publication has been developed in close cooperation with Heinrich Boll Foundation in Prague and is dedicated to architects, urban planners, politicians, anthropologists and a wider public with an interest in urban design. We hope it will spark a deeper understanding of design impacts in our everyday lives. We also hope that while reading it you will have fun, find an interest and pass it on.

Client: WPS Prague, Heinrich Boell Stiftung, Prague office

Published: January 2017

Envisioning Mill Island in Pardubice, Czech Republic

The publication is an accompanying documentation during the process of envisioning and strategizing the future of the Mills island area in Pardubice, Czech Republic. The area is characteristic by contrasts. The iconic monument, Gocar's Mill house, declining bakery production give background to the one of the most vibrant parks Na Spici on the edge of quiet residential district. The City of Pardubice detected it to be the one of the upcoming transformation zones. In order to keep the values of the area, the commission was carried to gather all the information and stakeholders' visions and organize legal competition architectural workshop. The publication summarizes in-depth dialogues and basic socio-economic mapping of the area. The book served as a grounding, supporting material for the future architects of the regulation plan.

Collaboration: Petr Navrat, ONPLAN

Client: ONPLAN lab, The City of Pardubice

Authors: Petr Navrat, Milota Sidorova, Katarína Vankusova

Published: Fall 2016

Study of User Needs, Dvorakovo Nabrezi - Na Frantisku, Prague, Czech Republic

The aim of the study is to revitalize this bank of Vltava and to bring it back among places that we choose for pleasant and safe way to work, freetime activities or unveiling many layers of extremely rich, local history. Growing number of individual key investments of local actors and stakeholders became the catalyst for the Institut of Planning and Development to conduct a conceptual and coordination study. The actors involved were property owners, property managers, attached institutions, public - all of them became partners while formulating the vision for the riverbank. Conceptual study will become a base for coordination of future individual investments in the private properties and attached public spaces.

Authors: Milota Sidorova, Jan Kadlas, Petr Navrat

Client: Institut of Planning and Development

Published: April 2016

You can browsee the publication here:

Evaluation Study: Current Practice of Prague Municipal Districts with Public Participation in Urban Development, Prague, Czech Republic

The study evaluates the awareness and use of public participation methods and tools among municipal districts in Prague. It was an important research material for Manual of Participation in Prague that was later on published and became the official guideline in the city of Prague. The aim of the study was mapping existing know how of municipal districts and identify the needs of employees and politicians if the participation is to be done properly. The evaluation study mapped the state zero, when only a little practice was applied among municipal districts. The outcomes contribute to more efficient process planning of strategic documents. For the future it will serve well as an indicator for the further evaluations.

Authors: Martina Macakova, Milota Sidorova, Petr Navrat

Client: Prague Institute for Planning and Development

Published: August 2015

One More Tree in the Streets of Prague 7

What are benefits of trees in the streets and what do you need to do, if you want to plant one - in Prague 7? I edited and fundraised for the street manual One More Tree in the Streets of Prague 7 during my times in reSITE. Well established cultural institutions of Prague 7 district - BIO OKO, Alfred ve Dvore, urbanACT, Coll Coll got together and prepared a small guide book summarizes all the important facts you need to know if you decide to plant a tree (on the street). The book contains architectural study how to plant the tree in front of popular cinema BIO OKO (Letna, Prague 7).

Authors: Milota Sidorova, Lucie Roubalova, Martin Gaberle, Marie Davidova, Kristof Hanzlik, Marek Prokupek, Tomas Hajek, Petr Navrat, Ladislav Bakay

Client: reSITE

Published: May 2013

research, books, urban planningMilota SidorovaMay 6, 2013urbanism