Prague 8 needs new schools. In Karlín that is especially true.
The Rohan primary school was meant to be one of the key projects that would help solve the shortage of places in a fast-growing part of the district. But instead of a clear process and a visible result, we are watching a years-long story of delays, uncertainty and explanations of why it cannot be done yet.
And yet elsewhere it can be done.
In the new episode of the 8žije podcast we therefore asked a simple question: why can Prague 8 not build a school when other municipalities manage to see similar projects through?
We invited people with concrete experience of building schools
We invited the mayor of Chýně to the podcast, a municipality that managed to build two schools in the space of a few years. Not as a theoretical plan on paper, but as finished buildings that serve children.
The second guest was an architect who contributes to the methodology for public buildings and has long worked on how municipalities and cities should prepare good public projects.
The discussion was therefore not about impressions. It was about practical experience: what a local authority has to do for a school to actually be built.
The problem is not the architectural design
One important point came up in the discussion: the problem need not be the architectural design as such.
Public competitions or good architecture are often used as an excuse for why things are being held up. But a well-prepared competition is not an obstacle. On the contrary, it can help find a better solution, define the brief better and prevent problems in later phases.
The real problem usually lies elsewhere: in managing the project, in decision-making, in preparing the brief, in political will and in the town hall's ability to hold a course even when complications appear.
A school does not build itself
Building a school is not an ordinary pavement repair. It is a complex public project that needs a clear political owner, professional project management and a realistic timetable.
It is not enough to say that we want a school. It is not enough to have a visualisation. It is not enough to point to the complexity of the permit process.
The town hall must be able to say:
- who is responsible for the project
- what stage the project is at
- what exactly is holding it up
- what the next step is
- when it is due to be finished
- what the costs and risks are
Without that, an important public building turns into an endless administrative story.
Prague 8 needs results, not more years of waiting
A shortage of school places is not an abstract problem. It affects specific families, children and whole neighbourhoods. Karlín has changed, more residents have moved in and the pressure on school infrastructure is real.
If the district cannot prepare schools, nurseries and other public facilities in time, it is chasing its own development with a delay. And in the end it is the residents who pay for that delay.
ZŠ Rohan is therefore not just one project. It is a test of whether Prague 8 can plan ahead and see things through to the end.
What we talk about in the episode
In the podcast we mainly discuss:
- why public projects get stuck
- whether architectural competitions really are the problem
- what decides whether a school actually gets built
- what role political leadership plays
- why some municipalities can move faster than large city districts
- what Prague 8 should take from the examples where school building works
Conclusion
Prague 8 does not need more years of explaining why the new school still is not standing. It needs clear priorities, accountability and the ability to manage important projects from the brief to opening the doors.
We are interested in your view too: what do you think is holding back school building in Prague 8 the most?
Listen to the whole episode of the 8žije podcast.