The Brno Bronx is expecting changes for the better according to the proposals of artist Šedá

Brno - Brno's Bronx, the neighborhood around Cejl, which carries the label of a socially excluded locality with a significant Roma community, is likely to experience changes for the better. Artist Kateřina Šedá, following her award-winning guidebook, proposed how the public space in this area could be improved. The city hall of Brno-Central and Brno-North, along with the magistrate, will implement some of the proposals, announced the spokesperson of the central city district, Kateřina Dobešová, in a press release.

When Šedá published her book titled Brnox in 2016, it was the result of her nearly two-year acquaintance with the locality and its residents. The guidebook received the Magnesia Litera award. This was followed by a three-year project Brnox II aimed at contributing to changes in the locality through smaller interventions, while maintaining the "spirit of the place".

The city district of Brno-Central is undertaking the project with the task of revitalizing the space at the corner of Vlhká street and Cejl. There will be more greenery, benches, and play elements for children.

"We like the proposal for the revitalization of this public space based on Kateřina Šedá's project and agree that it requires adjustment. We have checked its costs, so we know that we will need about three million crowns from the statutory city of Brno to implement it," said the mayor of Brno-Central, Vojtěch Mencl.

The city of Brno should work on repairing the facades of buildings, sidewalks, adding furniture, and other activities. The city district of Brno-North will improve the public space on Bratislavská street under the large plane trees. A working group will also be formed, which will meet regularly to coordinate changes.

Šedá's guidebook presented the Bronx as a colorful neighborhood rich in contrasts. "It is a subjective view and selection, not an official tourist guide," Šedá told ČTK in 2016 during the book launch, which offers ten "tourist routes".

Šedá is a laureate of the Chalupecký Prize. As one of the few Czech artists, she has made a name for herself abroad. She has participated in exhibitions in Kassel, Venice, Lyon, and Moscow. Her work is characterized by a desire to disrupt the stereotypes of individual and community behavior and bears the features of social architecture. For example, she temporarily relocated the residents of Bedřichovice in the Brno region to London and established a new municipal holiday for them.