Over 50,000 new flats were completed in Prague between 2014 and the end of last year. Most of these were built in Prague 9, although the population of the city increased by around 150,000 people during the same period. The new developments are therefore not sufficient to meet the housing needs of the new arrivals.
The greatest development was recorded in Prague 9, which accounted for almost a quarter of all flats completed in the last ten years. This is followed by the districts of Prague 4, 5 and 10, each with a share of around 16 per cent.
Together, these four districts account for nearly three quarters of all new construction in the capital. According to Central Group Managing Director Michaela Váňová, this is mainly due to the availability of large brownfield and development sites in these districts, which enable the creation of entirely new residential neighbourhoods. The Central Group has completed almost 8,000 flats in the last ten years – that’s one in six new flats in Prague.
Current new construction is not enough
In the past ten years, more than 50,000 new flats have been built in the city, providing living space for around 100,000 people. However, Prague’s population has increased by 150,000 in the same period – and this does not include the roughly 300,000 people who commute to Prague daily for work or study, nor the tens of thousands of Ukrainians who have arrived in connection with the war in Ukraine. The number of new flats is therefore far from sufficient to meet the city’s emerging housing needs – let alone to address the housing deficit of previous years. Furthermore, demand for new flats continues to rise sharply.
Brownfield sites are key to the solution
Brownfield sites represent the greatest potential for Prague’s future development, and their redevelopment should be a priority for the city. Of the 150,000 flats currently planned in the capital, around two thirds are located on these sites. Prague 9, where entire new neighbourhoods are being built on former industrial wastelands, demonstrates that this is the right approach. As a result, Prague 9 has long had the largest supply of flats and the lowest prices in the whole of Prague.
