Professor Ivan Koleček, an architect, my former teacher, says that when he comes to a city and sees cranes, it means that construction is going on and architects are needed there. And yet many Czech architects complain that building a “normal” house in a city is unbelievably difficult, something like a battle with officials and a chase for documents. The current construction law setting is truly alarming and it is not only architects who agree about that (Pavel Hnilička, Jakub Filip Novák, Filip Tittl in the discussion To Build in a City led by Filip Landa) but also lawyers (Jiří Plos in A Few Comments on Amendments to the Construction Law and on Conditions for Construction in the City). And even though the statistical figures still show an outflow of inhabitants from cities, the mental settings of our society is slowly changing. People want their cities back, they want to live there, work there, and have fun. People don’t want to live in satellite towns outside cities, they don’t want to commute to work by car, be a taxi driver to their children, and shop in a supermarket once a week. After all, Brno, the seat of our office, proves this; earlier this year US server Numbeo.com listed our city in 46th place out of 143 in their Quality of Life Index and New York Times even put Brno at number 27 of 52 places to go to in 2016. The newly established Municipal Architect's Office and the mobility plan, currently in preparation, are great hopes for Brno.

About the phenomenon of a compact city, suburbanization, living in a city and measuring the quality of life; about building in a city, construction laws, and the endless case of Prague Construction Regulations; about politics as well as about how they live and which buildings in a city they consider to be of a high quality; all that we have discussed with three architects, urbanists, experts in city planning.

Dear audience, in the next few lessons we are going to lay the foundations of the destruction of cities. We will introduce the main tools used for the destruction of cities, and mention several proven methods of how to continuously smother and weaken cities. We will also discuss a few emergency moves in case the destruction doesn’t go as fast and effectively as required. We will remember positive examples of setting a destructive environment, including my favourite—and as I believe also a future leader in this area—the Czech Republic.

The topic of the first issue in 2016 is architecture and city planning in relation to the specific needs of women and men. Their reflections can facilitate the creation of liberated public spaces. However, we won’t be dealing with large-scale urban planning interventions into urban landscape without relation to everydayness. We are showing small changes with great impact and presenting approaches that lead to the creation of environments pleasant for different users with differing demands. How is it possible to make movement around the city easier for someone who is a caregiver and has another occupation? How is it possible to design a park which can be used by all ages, genders, and social groups?

Built around 1910 according to the design by architect Felix Neumann, the late Art Nouveau house is part of the block development delimiting the main square in Ostrava. The original four-storey house, which is under a preservation order, with a mansard roof and decorated gable, has been generally renovated and modernized; the modifications consist mostly in the improvement of the interior environment while preserving the original spatial arrangement and expanding the usable area. The house is completed by an elevator and necessary social facilities. The most significant modification is a loft apartment taking up two floors, lightened by a newly installed glass wall that respects the original shape of the roof and contributes to the revitalization of the whole house, as well as the square with its modern conception.