2. Prague is the capital and the largest city of Czech Republic and it's the
8th city at the city branding list of 88th capitals all over the world.
Prague has been a political, cultural and economic centre of central
Europe and it has a population of nearly 2 million people. Present-day
Prague is the most dynamic and most successful region in the Czech
Republic, generating a quarter of GDP.It has a reputation for being a
reliable business partner that has low level unemployment and a good
credit record, a city which attracts not only trade and investors but also
migrants from around the globe.It provides an attractive address for alla
those who want to develop their business activity within a city of
exceptional beauty that has an able and well-qualified population and
offers new opportunities to all.
On the other hand, Prague is still hampered by increasing car use and
noise emissions, partly outmoded infrastructure, lack of available
housing especially for young families, an increasing crime rate and an
administration system that is not always welcoming or effective. The
historical core of Prague has found it hard to resist the strong
commercial pressure and to deal with the impact of cars and tourism.
These and other problems need to be resolved in accordance with the
city’s long-term goals and possibilities.
3. These new demands have also required changes in how the city’s
development is managed. Like other European metropolises, Prague has
prepared – and, in May 2000, adopted a comprehensive strategic plan
that sets out a complete and realistic vision of future economic, social
and spatial development with regard to these new conditions.
Prague has set forth an ambitious programme which it is determined to
implement. It has subscribed to the principles of partnership, democratic
management, market economy and the careful and environmentally
friendly use of all resources.
Here are some main points(strenghts, weaknesses and opportunities) of
this strategic plan, considering factors such as 'Prague in a anew
Europe”, “Competitiveness”, “People in Prague”, “Environment”,
“Safety & Security”, “City Management & Development”.
4. PRAGUE IN A NEW EUROPE:
Strengths (current favourable characteristics of Prague)
● Position at the heart of Europe
● Continuing attraction and general prestige of Prague
● Traditional standing as the hub of the Czech nation, state
administration, academia and culture
● Unique cultural-historical heritage of international
importance
● Improved connection to continental and global
communications and information networks
● Contacts with major cities and regions on the continent;
connection to activities within EU structures
5. Weaknesses (current high-risk and negative characteristics of
Prague)
● Integration into the European transport network (apart from air
travel) not on par with major competitive
● cities in Western Europe
● Poorly developed co-ordination of activities and co-operation
between the public and private sectors for
● the promotion of the city’s interests
● Little mutual awareness between Prague and its boroughs
regarding foreign activities
6. Opportunities (current and likely future positive external
influences)
● Greater support for Prague from the central government and
parliament; creation of a structured co-operation programme.
● Development of a common approach to promoting the shared
interests of Prague and other major European cities
● Better international co-operation for protecting Prague’s
exceptional cultural and historic richness and for integrating
multicultural activities.
● Retaining of Prague’s tourist appeal and growth in its role as a
venue for major international events
● Promotion of Prague as a suitable candidate to host the Summer
Olympic Games
● Optimum use of resources from European Union funds
● More effective use of the city’s representative offi ce in Brussels
(Prague House)
7. COMPETITIVENESS:
Strengths
●
Open business environment, great investor confi dence in the
investment stability of Prague and a well-developed private sector
● Stable labour market with diverse job opportunities and above-
average quality of the workforce
● Low unemployment
● Extensive potential of science, research and education for the
city’s innovative role
● Good accessibility for the majority of the regional hinterland and
suffi cient space both within and around
● the city for securing its development
● Existence of a strategic document on Prague’s potential for
innovation (the Regional Innovation Strategy for Prague)
8. ● Good position as an attractive tourist destination; high-quality
tourism infrastructure
● Long-term high evaluation by renowned international rating
agencies
● Weaknesses
● Problematic use of development opportunities in sites of former
manufacturing and business premises
● Insufficient use of research and development resources for
Prague’s innovation purposes on a national scale and for
resolving the city’s current problems
● Internationally perceived aspects that threaten Prague’s reputation
(such as corruption, crime, excessive bureaucracy, diffi cult
investor orientation when entering the Prague market)
● J Insuffi cient correlation between education and the labour
market, low employment of disadvantaged groups, lack of labour
in certain professions
9. Opportunities
●
Emergence of an extensive and integrated European economic
space
● Favourable climate to ensure the attraction of Prague’s
business environment
● Utilization of the well-qualifi ed and fl exible workforce and its
continuing comparative advantage in terms
● of salaries and expenditure; emergence of strong stimulative
competition on the labour market
● Promotion of quality partnership between the public and
private sectors
● Full use of the city’s potential for innovation – speeding up the
transfer of technology and know-how, greater involvement of
Prague-based research in addressing the city’s development
issues, increasing social responsibility of the city for research
10. PEOPLE IN PRAGUE
Strengths
● Continued spiritual and material
development and renewal of the spiritual
atmosphere attributed to a city that is open to
impulses from diverse cultures and
persuasions
● Above-average living standards, relatively
high social stability and a strong middle class
● Balanced social structure
● Highest concentration of high school and
university graduates in the country
● Sufficient capacity of elementary and
secondary educational facilities
11. Weaknesses
● Unfavourable demographic structure and ageing Prague
population
● High proportion of housing estates built to low technical
standards
● Insuffi cient job opportunities, civic and recreational facilities
on and near housing estates
● Lack of social integration of the disabled and of people facing
social exclusion
● Not enough correlation or continuance between the various
levels of education; insuffi cient accessibility of the educational
system
● Little emphasis on addressing certain aspects of equal
opportunities for men and women
● Low involvement of citizens in public affairs decision making
and lack of identifi cation with the local community and Prague
as a whole
12. Opportunities
● Re-evaluation of Prague’s multicultural traditions and utilization
of its cultural importance to improve its attraction 20
● Creation of stable round-the-year interest in Prague as a tourist
attraction by supporting sustainable tourism and offering an
attractive programme of events (even in the off season)
● Conservation of the overall character of the city by keeping the
aesthetic and cultural in mind when bringing development projects
into fruition
● Raising of educational levels by expanding the lifelong learning
system
● Use of schools as multifunctional centres of education and culture
● Equalizing of opportunities for men and women on the labour
market by balancing family and work life
13. ENVIRONMENT:
Strengths
● Unique and well-known
genius loci
● Attractive and pleasant
environment of the city’s
historical areas with a large
number of heritage buildings
and sites
● Diversity of architectural
styles and urban structures
● Rich potential of both the city
and suburban landscape with
the added advantage of the
river Vltava
● Large proportion of green
areas
14. Weaknesses
● Overburdening of Prague’s Heritage Conservation Area (the
historical centre of the city) by car transport, unsuitable commercial
activities and other negative infl uences
● Heavy air pollution mainly in the central parts of the city, caused
by car transport and negative geomorphologic conditions
●Noise pollution from traffi c and other sources 21
● Incomprehensive, and in some cases, insuffi cient care of historical
sites, particularly those outside the conservation area
● Pollution of waterways in the city, reducing their ecological and
recreational potential
● Unacceptable state of some green areas in the city and suburbs;
partly dysfunctional greenery system
● Frequent cases of vandalism, unsatisfactory level of cleanliness of
public areas and local neglect of building maintenance
15. Opportunities
● Europe-wide trend towards reducing the negative impacts of car
transport on the urban environment
● Suitable use of vacant areas, particularly in the inner city, such as
defunct industrial plants and abandoned railway land
● Further reduction in air pollution from industrial emissions and heating
systems, for example due to economic stimulus
● Improvement in the system of heritage care, including appropriate
legislation and control mechanisms
● Revitalization of urban and suburban greenery in connection with a
heightened appreciation of its eco-stabilization function
● Trend towards emphasizing the ecological and recreational functions
of waterways
16. Opportunities
● Europe-wide trend towards reducing the negative impacts of car
transport on the urban environment
● Suitable use of vacant areas, particularly in the inner city, such as
defunct industrial plants and abandoned railway land
● Further reduction in air pollution from industrial emissions and
heating systems, for example due to economic stimulus
● Improvement in the system of heritage care, including
appropriate legislation and control mechanisms
● Revitalization of urban and suburban greenery in connection with
a heightened appreciation of its eco-stabilization function
● Trend towards emphasizing the ecological and recreational
functions of waterways
17. ● Laying down of actual prerequisites for the renewal of housing
estates as a whole, in particular by completing the infrastructure
and renovating public areas
● Development of a polycentric system for Prague to relieve the
city centre
● Greater range of tourist destinations within and outside Prague’s
Heritage Conservation Area (the historical centre of the city)
● Effective and environmentally friendly system of waste
management (higher level of waste sorting and recycling, etc.)
18. SAFETY AND SECURITY:
Strengths
● The city’s current safety and
security system, which is
designed to cope with and
minimize the effects of
exceptional and unforeseen
circumstances and to provide
help to those in need
● Implementation of
comprehensive fl ood
protection measures
● Call centre for residents and
visitors in use during major
events and in emergency
situation
19. ●Crime and drug prevention activities in the city
● Beat patrol and community policing activities, which have been received
positively by city residents
● Partial provision of replacement public transport services and supplies of
drinking water during emergency situations
Weaknesses
●High crime rates, including organized crime
● Existence of areas with a long-term concentration of street crime;
ineffective measures against vandalism
●Long-term trend showing a decrease in crime detection; increasing
proportion of police offi cers involved in crime and overall low numbers of
police offi cers in the Czech Police Force on beat patrol
● Continuing public distrust in the security services and little willingness to
co-operate with them
●Growth of problematic social groups
● Insuffi ciently effective co-operation between the city and organizations
dealing with migrants, refugees, homeless and other socially excluded
people
20. Opportunities
● Active participation of the public in providing for their own
safety, particularly during exceptional and unforeseen
circumstances
● Lowering the risks of environmental disasters and other
emergency situations by thoroughly enforcing the principles of
sustainable development
● Construction and modernization of a central operations centre
● Closer involvement of the city in national and international-
level security structures
● Helping people from high-risk groups to become involved in
society
21. CITY MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION:
Strengths
● Prague is traditionally seen as an independent administrative unit
and the city’s division into administrative districts is expected to
have long-term stability
● The City of Prague Act, which allows for comprehensive
problem solving in the areas of city administration and
development
● Long-term continuity and strategy in the spatial development
planning of the city
● Size and strength of the city economy
22. Weaknesses
● Hypertrophied and complicated system of public administration
● Insuffi cient co-operation between Prague, the Central Bohemia
Region and neighbouring suburban areas
● Continuing failure on the part of the central government to
appreciate the position of Prague and to respect its role and
needs
● Absence of mid- or long-term budget planning tied to an
investment programme
23. Opportunities
● Presence in the city of most of the central bodies of the public
administration, as well as higher education and scientifi c-research
resources for dealing with the city’s development and administration
● Well-developed and diverse telecommunications networks suitable for
multimedia communication between the city administration and the
public, state authorities, other regions and other countries
● Rapid development of choice in the provision of information and
communication technologies
● Prague’s position as a region within the European Union
● Completion of the process of dividing powers between the local
borough authorities and the city
*All the information are included on the Pragues goverment's strategic
plan
http://www.iprpraha.cz/uploads/assets/soubory/data/strategicky_plan/ang
