The most intensive residential construction in 24 years took place in Prague and Jihlava.

The last phase of the residential complex Park Zličín by CENTRAL GROUP, the largest residential builder in the Czech Republic and General partner of the competition showcase Czech Architecture Award

Prague – The most intense residential construction in the Czech Republic between 1997 and 2019 occurred in the larger cities of Prague, Jihlava, and Olomouc. In Prague, 87.5 apartments were completed per 1,000 residents, in Jihlava 84.5 apartments, and in Olomouc 79.9 apartments. Conversely, the least construction occurred in Chomutov (8.2 apartments), Most (13.4 apartments), and Karviná (14.2 apartments). This is based on data from the Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ) for cities with more than 40,000 residents.

"Among large cities, construction is most prevalent in Prague, where the highest number of newly settled people wish to live. It is a university city with countless opportunities, uniquely comparable to Western metropolises in the Czech Republic. Therefore, talented students from all over the country come to this city and often do not return to their places of birth," said BH Securities analyst Štěpán Křeček to ČTK.

According to analyst Petr Bartoň from Natland, it is not surprising that Jihlava ranks second in construction intensity. "It has significantly benefited from becoming a regional capital in the formation of modern regions. It has experienced the greatest growth in the surrounding areas, becoming a center for many small towns that previously relied more on centers in the South Moravian, East Bohemian, or South Bohemian regions. Olomouc has also ceased to be the ugly duckling between Brno and Ostrava and has become a fully-fledged regional city," Bartoň added. Following Prague, Jihlava, and Olomouc in construction intensity are Brno, České Budějovice, Prostějov, and Plzeň.

In contrast, the intensity of residential construction in Chomutov reached about a tenth of that in the cities of the top three. Most, Karviná, Teplice, Ústí nad Labem, and Havířov were similarly positioned. "These are primarily regions with chronically high unemployment rates. The prospects for obtaining adequate work here are poor," noted Trinity Bank analyst Lukáš Kovanda.

Another indicator is the share of apartments completed in the last five years. At a uniform pace, this would be 20.8 percent (five years out of the last 24). Most cities did not deviate significantly from this average. Exceptions include Kladno with 40 percent, and Havířov and Plzeň with about a third. Conversely, Jihlava had 10.6 percent, Chomutov 11.1 percent, and Přerov 11.8 percent.

"Jihlava exemplifies that the bulk of its growth occurred at the beginning and is related to the establishment of the regional city. Kladno, on the other hand, has mainly grown in recent years, as apartment prices are pushing residents from Prague to Kladno and other satellite cities. The later development of Plzeň may also be related to improvements in not only the highway but especially the railway infrastructure, which has brought Plzeň closer to Prague," Bartoň further stated.

According to Kovanda, the last five years overlap with a period of enormous growth in real estate prices in the capital. According to data from developer companies Trigema, Central Group, and Skanska Reality, the selling prices of new buildings have almost doubled since 2015. "This growth means that for many average-earning people, owning a home in the metropolis is practically unattainable. This forces them to seek alternatives 'beyond Prague', including in Kladno," Kovanda added.

The number of completed apartments per 1,000 residents from 1997 to 2019 in cities with more than 40,000 residents, the number of completed apartments in the last five years, and their share of the total number (in percentage):

City	Number of Apartments	Population	Per 1,000 residents	In last 5 years	Share
Prague	115,883	1,324,277	87.5	28,441	24.5
Jihlava	4,329	51,216	84.5	458	10.6
Olomouc	8,043	100,663	79.9	2,188	27.2
Brno	30,216	381,346	79.2	7,143	23.6
České Budějovice	6,918	94,463	73.2	1,573	22.7
Prostějov	2,886	43,651	66.1	566	19.6
Plzeň	10,824	174,842	61.9	3,415	31.6
Hradec Králové	5,723	92,939	61.6	1,239	21.6
Liberec	6,109	104,802	58.3	798	13.1
Pardubice	5,342	91,727	58.2	1,193	22.3
Karlovy Vary	2,592	48,497	53.4	443	17.1
Mladá Boleslav	2,287	44,740	51.1	509	22.3
Zlín	3,207	74,935	42.8	668	20.8
Opava	2,090	56,450	37.0	425	20.3
Jablonec n./N.	1,598	45,773	34.9	201	12.6
Kladno	2,285	69,337	33.0	913	40.0
Přerov	1,248	42,871	29.1	147	11.8
Ostrava	7,883	287,968	27.4	1,676	21.3
Frýdek-Místek	1,394	55,557	25.1	331	23.7
Děčín	852	48,594	17.5	105	12.3
Havířov	1,258	71,200	16.8	430	34.2
Ústí nad Labem	1,512	92,717	16.3	405	26.8
Teplice	721	49,731	14.5	144	20.0
Karviná	742	52,128	14.2	227	30.6
Most	884	66,034	13.4	215	24.3
Chomutov	398	48,694	8.2	44	11.1