Art in the public space always becomes part of the environment, be it permanent or fleeting. All places go through several physical transformations during their lifetime, they carry the stories and needs of the modern city and they are shaped by the people who live there. All that can affect the meaning of artwork, develop it further, or justify its existence. At the same time, the artwork penetrates the meaning of the site; it has the power to make it important, to interpret, draw attention and inspire action...

The new issue of ERA21 #03/2018 Housing Policy is about to be published. It has been prepared in collaboration with the curators Petra Vlachynská and Veronika Kastlová and we have focused on how the art in the public space is supported both in our country and abroad and what forms can it take in relation to architecture. 

The apartment building aims to naturally fit into the street front of Koněvova Street in Prague-Žižkov and blend in smoothly with the surroundings. Its character reflects the now disappearing spirit of the Žižkov development with a loose bohemian atmosphere. It might appear a bit retro, but the aim is for it to be contemporary. The plot size for the project was that of two or three typical old apartment buildings in Žižkov. For this reason, the building is divided into two identical volumes, optically differing in façade colors. The main asset of the site is a close proximity of Vítkov Park to the north and of the new bike path built in the place of the former railway tracks. Therefore, a passageway in the ground floor that connects Koněvova Street with the park plays a key role. It also fronts both parts of the building and shields its entrances from the busy road.

In February 2016, Brno became the first city in Czechia to launch a pilot project called Rapid Re-Housing, which is a fast form of accommodation for families with children in housing need. The first evaluation last autumn showed an extraordinary success rate and the project received a prestigious European award FEANTSA (European Federation of National Organizations Working with the Homeless) for providing the best housing solution for homeless people in EU in 2010–2017. We talked with Brno municipal representative Martin Freund about this social model, its implementation, and other plans in the domain of social housing.

Těžko, stojíme na perónu a čekáme. Prý už sto let, a proto se teď musíme rozhodnout, kam s nádražím, co nejdříve. A přestože se svět změnil, mnozí v Brně s neotřesitelnou jistotou prosazují sto let starý nápad. Zatímco v první polovině minulého století byly kouřící vlaky nevítanou nutností a v té druhé se u nás většina takovýchto plánů nesla v megalomanském budovatelském duchu mimo vhodné měřítko...