The construction of the D metro line with the Nové Dvory station is an opportunity to create a new urban district on the city land in its immediate vicinity, meeting the strictest criteria of modern urbanism and sustainable development. The transformation of the area of Nové Dvory, with a total area of almost 30 hectares, was initiated by the City of Prague. Prague, as the key owner of the land in this locality, commissioned the Prague Development Company (PDS) to prepare the entire area and specific investment projects for investment and realisation. The investment and implementation preparation is being carried out in cooperation with the Transport Company and the municipal districts of Prague 4 and 12. The Department of Urban Development of the City Hall of the Capital City of Prague. In 2022, the Prague City Development Department prepared an urban planning study of the entire area, which proposes its sustainable development in four aspects: social, economic, environmental and cultural.
“The construction of the D metro and the Nové Dvory station were the impetus for the unification of the city’s land ownership in this area and the decision to evaluate it by building a new urban district. After the zoning change we are working on, it will be possible to build 1,600-2,000 urban rental apartments, an office and retail centre with shops and services and all the amenities of a kindergarten, primary and secondary school, a sports hall and outdoor playgrounds, and a community/cultural centre with a library. Nové Dvory will offer affordable urban rental housing, up to 5,000 new jobs and a range of leisure opportunities, be it culture or sport,” says Petr Hlaváček, First Deputy Mayor of the Capital City of Prague. Prague’s first Mayor for Territorial Development.
“We are deliberately combining different types of use of future buildings within Nové Dvory. In addition to housing, current and future residents will have a significant representation of all necessary functions
People who will live here will also be able to work, shop, their children will go to school, play sports, meet friends and enjoy their free time,” says Petr Urbánek, Director of the Prague Development Company, and adds: “the aim is to create a full-fledged urban district that will become a sought-after local centre in the southern part of Prague thanks to a balanced offer of employment opportunities, shops and services. The non-residential space that we are counting on within the project, especially near the metro, will ensure the long-term economic sustainability of the urban development.”
Sustainable City at Nové Dvory
The spatial study, which was prepared for the Department of Spatial Development of the Municipality of the capital city of Prague. The study, prepared by UNIT architects for the Prague City Planning Department, looks at the development of the new part of the city from four perspectives: social, economic, environmental and cultural:
– Social
“In our urban planning study, we assume that various groups of citizens will live in Nové Dvory, regardless of their age or socio-economic status. It is the intention of the capital city to have a large number of people of different social statuses, such as age and age group. Prague’s aim is to build quality affordable rental housing here, which will be intended primarily for the so-called preferred professions (teachers, health workers, police officers), for single parents and for the elderly living independently. As far as housing is concerned, it is necessary to ensure continuity with the surrounding development, to use the potential of the site directly at the new metro station effectively enough and to support the creation of a neighbourhood community,” says Jitka Molnárová from UNIT architects, who led the preparation of the urban planning study.
– Economic
In the central part of Nové Dvory, especially near the future metro station and to a lesser extent also in the new squares, it is planned to build office and retail space. The rental income from the new urban properties will significantly support the economic return on public investment in this area.
– Environmental
The intensive use of the site directly connected to various modes of public transport with sufficient public services including education is a key parameter for the sustainability and efficiency of the development of this new part of the city. Naturally, this will also create a generous public space in Nové Dvory consisting of several squares, some of which will be connected to the Jalodvorská louka park. The development of blue-green infrastructure is envisaged in Nové Dvory, e.g. the capture of rainwater so that it soaks into the soil on the site and is not drained away by sewers, the cultivation of the Jalodvorská louka park and the creation of new green spaces. By building a metro station and extending the tram line from Modřany, the city will encourage the use of public transport.
– Cultural and educational
The design of Nové Dvory includes a range of cultural and leisure facilities, including a kindergarten, primary school and possibly a secondary school, a cultural centre, a sports hall and an outdoor playground. The restaurants and cafes that will be opened in the commercial part of the project will also be of considerable importance. Current and future residents will no longer have to commute frequently to other parts of Prague 4 (e.g. Pankrác) or directly to the city centre.
Spatial model of New Courts
PDS continues in the academic year 2022/2023 in cooperation with the Faculty of Architecture of the Czech Technical University in Prague. During the winter semester, students of the Department of Building Science participated in the design of a large-scale spatial model of the New Courts with dimensions of 3 x 3 m. On 23 February, the opening of the exhibition took place, which will run in the foyer of the CTU in Prague Dejvice until 16 March 2023 and is open to the general public.
First projects at Nové Dvory
The PDS has divided the entire area into individual projects that will be implemented gradually over a period of 10 to 15 years. In 2022, the company monom works, s.r.o. was selected in a tender procedure as the project developer and contractor for the project documentation of the smaller housing complex Jalový dvůr. Also last year, PDS issued a tender for a verification volume study for Project 09 – Durychova apartment building and a verification study for the development above the metro station. Further preparatory steps will follow this year.
