In the last few days, an article was published in an impact journal Geografisk Tidsskrift-Danish Journal of Geography entitled Retiring in the suburbs? Residential strategies in two Prague suburbs. The authors are Nina Dvořáková and Marie Horňáková. In an attempt to analyse future residential mobility and strategies for later-life suburban households in Czechia, they conducted a questionnaire survey in two suburban municipalities (n = 177). Respondents were aware that as they aged, their current residences and residential environments were likely to become less suitable. Nevertheless, most of our respondents were “stayers” and employed various assimilative coping strategies to adapt their homes, rather than moving or leaving the suburbs.

In October, after a long time, we went on a teambuilding trip together as a team. We walked through the beautiful countryside (Protected Landscape Area Bohemian Karst) from Serbia (located in the Central Bohemian region) to Beroun and recharged our energy. Hopefully, the situation will allow it and we will be able to go somewhere next year! More photos here.

In the last few days, an article was published in an impact journal Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift – Norwegian Journal of Geography entitled  “From suburbanization to reurbanization? Changing residential mobility flows of families with young children in the Prague Metropolitan Area”. The authors are Marie Horňáková and Jan Sýkora. The aim of the article is to examine changes in the residential mobility patterns of families with young children living in and moving between different residential zones in the Prague Metropolitan Area. Migration data relating to individuals are used to examine spatial and temporal shifts in mobility flows. Even though suburbs are still the main destination for families with young children, the authors identified a certain degree of diversification in residential behaviour. They conclude that this finding points to the emergence of reurbanization tendencies towards the housing estates and intensifying mobility within residential zones with housing that is similar in appearance.

The NAKI project focusing on Prague suburbs continues successfully! In September, the 3rd and 4th set of specialised maps were completed and published, dealing with the growth of selected neighbourhoods in the socialist period (Strašnice, Kobylisy, Hlubočepy, Jižní Město, Černý Most, Modřany) and the growth of suburbs in the transformation period (Jesenice, Dobřichovice, Dolní Břežany, Hostivice).

All maps together with analytical texts are available here.

Adela Petrovic and Greta Kukeli have presented their preliminary research findings at two international conferences, RC21 Conference on Sensing the City (Antwerp, BE) and 5th Serbian Congress of Geographers (Novi Sad, RS). The title of their presentation is “From a former industrial neighbourhood to a creative class oasis: A case study of Karlín, the inner-city neighbourhood of Prague“. The research deals with urban transformation processes taking place in Karlín, such as gentrification, internationalisation, regeneration and hipsterfication. The goal of the study is to (i) identify the physical, social and cultural changes in Karlín, (ii) understand how Karlín is perceived by the general public and its frequent users, and (iii) find out how Karlín is used by young international employees.

The 50th Annual Conference of the Czech Demographic Society took place from 15 to 17 September 2021. The conference took place in Ostrava at the University of Ostrava. The papers were divided into several sections: Pension Reform – Reproductive Ageing – Economics of Healthy Ageing – Current Demographic Research. There was also a poster session, with three posters from members of our team!

1. Ivana Křížková, Adam Klsák, Martin Šimon: Migration and residential mobility of foreign citizens in Prague and the Central Bohemian Region.
2. Martin Šimon, Ivana Křížková, Adam Klsák: Residential segregation in Prague and Central Bohemian Region 2012–2018: a multiscalar approach using individualized neighbourhoods.
3. Adam Klsák, Ivana Křížková: Spatial Patterns of the Foreign Population in Prague and the Central Bohemian Region: The State 10 Years after the Financial Crisis.

At the turn of August and September 2021, another international conference organised by the European Network for Housing Research took place, this time with the subtitle Unsettled Settlements: Housing in Unstable Contexts. Members of our team presented their papers at the conference! Two papers were presented within the working group “Disadvantaged Urban Neighborhoods and Communities”. Kadi Kalm presented the paper “Various housing estates’ trajectories in post-socialist cities: does the socialist legacy still matter?”, which she is currently working on together with her colleagues Petra Špačková, Jan Sýkora and Ondřej Špaček.  Jan Sýkora and Marie Horňáková presented the paper “‘It is natural’: life course as a key element of long-term residents’ place attachment in a gentrifying Prague neighbourhood”, on which they worked together with Kirsten Visser and Gideon Bolt from the University Utrecht. 

A new article in the Journal of Housing and the Built Environment entitled: “Towards ordinary quarters: the development of housing estates in Prague after transformation” was published in the last few days. Its authors are Martin Ouředníček and Zuzana Kopecká. The main objective of the paper is to explain and understand contemporary spatial changes within housing estates in Prague with special attention to the role of public and private institutions. The authors that housing estates are undergoing considerable functional heterogenization and becoming integral parts of the city as a consequence of mix of commercial development, specific public policies and activities of local actors. We focus on two crucial aspects of the contemporary development of housing estates within the capital city of Prague: (i) the new functional differentiation of housing estates as a consequence of private activities and commercialization; (ii) the role of master planning and public policies on the level of both the city and self-governed city districts. A case study of the largest housing estate and a symbol of socialist housing in Czechia—Jižní Město—illustrates the impact of state and municipal policies and commercialization on the local level. Read the full article here.

On Wednesday 16 June, an international webinar One thousand and one forms of suburbanisation: comparative research, terminology, methods was held with an aim to discuss the diversity of forms and concepts of suburbanisation as a global urban phenomenon. The keynote speakers were Steven Logan (University of Toronto, Canada), Roger Keil (York University, Canada), and Konstantin Grigorichev (Irkutsk State University, Russia), accompanied by Martin Ouředníček, who also moderated the event. More than forty of you joined the event as active discussants or listeners. Thank you all very much! The webinar took place within the framework of project No. 18-14510S Contemporary Changes in the Social Environment in Czech Suburbs supported by the Czech Science Foundation (GAČR).

In the next academic year, you can look forward to the course “Urban Regulations and Political Memory: Towards Understanding Spatio-Temporal Aspects of Urban Development” organized within 4EU +. This interdisciplinary course is being prepared by three universities: University of Warsaw, University of Milan and Charles University. Lecture „Urban transformation processes. Gentrification. Suburbanisation“ will be led by members of our team Martin Ouředníček a Adél Petrović. The entire course will be held in English and those interested can send their CVs and cover letters by 8 September 2021 to email unread@wpia.uw.edu.pl. Key topics of the course are driving forces of urban changes, the development of smart cities and interdisciplinary methodologies of urban studies. The project concerns changes in the conditions of the urban development of smart cities in Poland, Italy and Czech Republic, according to three dimensions: past (history), present (law) and future (geography), emphasizing an integrated and interdisciplinary approach in order to understand the complexity of new urban centers in which real estate development must coexist with the protection of the environment and with the history and heritage of the local community. The course programme can be found here.