Žďár n. S. would like a city architect; they are considering it elsewhere as well

Žďár nad Sázavou - The Town Hall in Žďár nad Sázavou would like to have a city architect by the end of the year, who would presumably work part-time for the city. Mayor Zdeněk Navrátil (Žďár-Living City) stated that he is currently looking for inspiration in cities like Litomyšl and Chrudim, which have an architect. According to today’s poll by ČTK, similar discussions are also taking place elsewhere in the Vysočina region. None of the five largest cities currently has a city architect.
    Žďár nad Sázavou, according to the mayor, is to some extent damaged by 40 years of communism, and in his view, the construction since the 1990s has not been well thought out either. "On the other hand, there is a huge opportunity to build anew, modernly, interestingly," he said.
    A working group of the city has been dealing with the options for ensuring architectural oversight for six months, and it will present its conclusions to the public at a panel discussion on June 17. According to Navrátil, the city architect should oversee municipal buildings and the modifications of public spaces. "To some extent, it will obviously affect how private developers will build in the city," the mayor stated. However, he believes it should be more about educating citizens than about repression.
    In the regional city of Jihlava, an architect leads the Department of Urban Planning. Nevertheless, politicians there are also debating the creation of a city architect position. "So far, it does not have a concrete conclusion," spokesperson Radek Tulis said. One of the Jihlava city councilors criticized the use of several types of bidding in one housing estate, for example. Currently, Třebíč, the second largest city in Vysočina, also does not have a city architect. The Town Hall is considering it, especially in connection with the planned revitalization of the historic Karlovo náměstí, stated city spokesperson Irini Martakidisová.
    In Havlíčkův Brod, such a position was once held. "But it proved not to be viable," said Deputy Mayor Libor Honzárek (TOP 09). According to him, the twenty-thousand city cannot offer an adequate salary for a quality architect in an administrative position; it would have to be a "passionate person." Part-time employment also had its pitfalls, as investors who wanted to push something in the city were very much interested in the services of such an architect. "Theoretically, it would be good; the continuity would be beneficial," Honzárek said. However, he stated that it often suffices to have professionally capable officials in the Department of Urban Planning.