Swedish students proposed the Roztyly development

Prague - Swedish architecture students proposed the development around Roztyly metro station in Prague's Jižní Město. They would construct buildings along the D1 highway that would reflect noise and emissions; the houses should also rise around the metro station. The authors presented their thesis to journalists today. The plans partly align with the vision presented by the Prague 11 municipality at the beginning of the year. However, some local residents rejected it, fearing the planned change to the zoning plan. The students' work, however, was welcomed.
    A wave of discontent arose over the development of the so-called Velké Roztyly after the Jižní Město municipality proposed a zoning change for this area to the city council. The leadership of the city district defends that it was merely a maximalist version meant to set limits on development. They claim that the landowners are trying to change the purpose of the plots in the zoning plan, and the municipality aims to prevent chaotic construction through a unified approach.
    Opponents of Velké Roztyly fear that the proposal reflects the true intentions of the municipality. In such a case, they argue, a large area including current green spaces would be built upon. Prague 11 then presented a vision of what the development should look like. According to the proposal, new homes would rise around the D1 highway, near the metro station itself, or to the south of the station. In addition to administrative buildings, the leadership of Prague 11 would also like to see hotels, sports facilities, or residential buildings there.
    Two students from the university in Karlskrona, Sweden, prepared a thesis on the development of Roztyly. They spent three months in Prague, during which they met with representatives of the city council's Urban Development Department and organizations fighting against local development.
    "We would like to make the area more pleasant and attractive for residents," said one of the authors, Kristupas Liorancas. They would prevent noise from the highway, similar to the studies done by Prague 11, by constructing houses along the road. One of the buildings would be hidden under an artificial hill. They would glass the metro station to provide a view of the nearby Kunratický Forest. They planned several buildings with a small square around the metro station. Near the forest, they proposed a pond to collect rainwater, which would serve for residents' recreation. They also planned to narrow Ryšavého Street, on which they suggest limiting speed.
    Although the proposal resembles the vision of the Prague 11 municipality as a whole, it received a better reception among opposition civic associations. "We were surprised that a lot of buildings are proposed there," said Martin Skalský from the Arnika association. However, he welcomed that the authors based their work on the needs of the area, not on economic calculations. "It's a reasonable compromise," he added.
    According to architect Tomáš Víchy, who collaborated with the students, the proposed buildings are lower than the municipality's proposals and also account for wider streets, for example. He added that the work did not face significant objections even from the Urban Development Department.