In Ostrava, a new city district with up to 12,000 inhabitants is set to be created

Ostrava – A new urban district with up to 12,000 residents is to be developed in Ostrava. It could arise in the former industrial area of the historic Žofínská steelworks between Lower Vitkovice and the Karolina location, where a shopping center, office, and residential buildings currently stand. The new district would also connect the city center with the industrial area of Lower Vitkovice. Petr Havránek from the press department of the city hall said this to ČTK.

"The brownfield Pod Žofinkou, situated at the border of the Karolina and Lower Vitkovice locations, covers an area of 18.78 hectares and is among the city's strategic development zones included in our strategic plan. The entire area of interest amounts to nearly 100 hectares. It is therefore crucial that we have found a basic agreement with the owners and key stakeholders on both the principles of the area and hopefully on the process of work as well. We will soon present a proposal for a memorandum of cooperation to the city council and initiate follow-up preparatory work,” said the mayor of Ostrava, Tomáš Macura.

The area Pod Žofinkou is bordered on two sides by railway tracks and on the third side by the Ostravice River. The proposed further development works with the gradual establishment of four direct connections and has been developed in several scenarios. "The minimal scenario defines the minimum extent at which it pays off to invest in the area. The maximum scenario, on the other hand, sets the limit capacities of the area and the city. The recommended scenario for implementation is the optimal one, which assumes a concentration of up to 12,000 new potential residents and users of the area, of which up to 7,600 would be permanent residents,” Havránek said.

According to him, the scenarios are based on the proposed urban planning concept, with the aim of multifunctional use of the area, combining housing, administration, and services. Both the transport and landscape parts have been developed. The key is the connection via a straight and wide urban avenue with a tram line.

"The proposed boulevard, a 1.5-kilometer-long city avenue that also includes a tram line, aims to connect Smetanovo náměstí and Vítkovice. The next step for the city will be to verify the proposal and simultaneously prepare the necessary changes to the urban plan,” specified the deputy mayor Zuzana Bajgarová.

The intention significantly influences the area of Lower Vitkovice itself. Thus, the future development of the location will need to be redefined. Jan Světlík, the main owner of Vítkovice a.s., believes that Ostrava deserves such a transformation. "Ostrava should dare to build a broader center. The ideal area for this would be along the Ostravice River. Cities have been growing around rivers for centuries,” he stated.

Work on the basic project documentation will take approximately 1.5 years. The first actual implementations to connect the areas could start within five years. The brownfield Pod Žofinkou is currently undergoing remediation, which is expected to be completed in 2031.