Karlovo Square is awaiting renovation, starting with the intersections

Prague - Karlovo náměstí in Prague 2 is set for extensive renewal. Work is expected to begin this year on adjustments to the adjacent intersections and traffic lights, with the reconstruction of the tram lines planned for next year. The Prague council today approved an amendment to the 2010 memorandum regarding the reconstruction of Karlovo náměstí. It specifies some modifications. Tereza Králová, the spokesperson for the municipality, stated this today. According to Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda (ODS), the entire square could be renewed by 2018.
    "We want to improve the issue of crossings, which are complicated and serious there, we want to solve the issue of boarding stations and greenery," Svoboda (ODS) told ČTK today in response to a question.
    The neglected park, divided by busy streets, is set to transform into a pedestrian boulevard in the future. Costs are expected to climb up to 500 million crowns, according to earlier estimates. The square, which is one of the largest in Central Europe, will be revitalized jointly by the municipality and Prague 2.
    "We will strive to draw European funds for the revitalization of the park. Not only for the revitalization of Karlovo náměstí and its park area but also for the revitalization of other significant parks in Prague," stated the mayor. According to him, Prague's parks should be restored to the form in which they were originally created.
    The renewal of Karlovo náměstí is the first of several significant projects initiated by the Office for Public Space at the Development Department of the Capital City, which was recently initiated by councilor Tomáš Hudeček (TOP 09). "This shows a new approach that I advocate, moving away from megalomaniacal projects to simple and conceptual modifications. Such an approach is gentle and friendly for everyone - the citizens of Prague, the locality, and the city budget," Hudeček told ČTK.
    According to the head of the office, Pavla Melková, the condition of Karlovo náměstí is "long-term unsatisfactory and must be addressed as soon as possible." The biggest problem, according to her, is automobile traffic. "The problem is the lack of permeability of the square in the longitudinal direction and connecting it to the surrounding streets for pedestrians on the surface as should be obvious in a city," Melková stated.
    Her office is to prepare a study by the end of the year that will address the basic modifications of the most critical deficiencies of the square. "The first partial outputs (from the study) will be available by the end of April," Melková told ČTK today.
    The project for the revitalization of the square and park has been criticized multiple times in the past. About half of the trees in the park were slated for removal, new avenues were to be planted, and asphalt surfaces of the sidewalks were to be replaced with paving stones. Heritage conservationists want to preserve the park in its original form, as designed by landscape architect and director of Prague's parks and gardens František Thomayer, who unified the entire square and planted rows of resilient deciduous trees around its perimeter. Local residents opposed the initial plans for the renewal, rejecting the felling of trees.