Surely there are nations in the World that would like Czechoslovakia to continue to lead such a passive life in terms of economy. Surely many people would still like us to use the same methods, to take care of small things and postpone big ones. Surely someone would benefit from it if we were scared to take responsibility, if we’d rather mend unemployment with pittance, if we’d patch leaky laws with laws equally leaky...

Pustevny is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the Beskydy Mountains. Its attractiveness is mainly due to a group of buildings built in the traditional “folk secession” style, designed by architect Dušan Jurkovič and built completely from wood in the late 19^th century. Today, inappropriate use and insufficient infrastructure are serious issues here. Last August, the new exit station of the cableway was opened, replacing the original and unsuitable facility, offering an open restaurant with panoramic views. The contemporary building of stone, wood and glass had to meet the client’s demands as well as those of heritage conservation and nature protection agencies. It’s considered the first step in the transformation of the whole area, which will include a new design of public spaces according to a single manual, among other things.

Artwork can increase the aesthetic quality and utility of a public space. The intervention should support the public character of the urban environment both in a spatial sense and in the sense of subjectively perceived qualities. In modernism, art gained an autonomous status. But complete autonomy and artistic freedom might be harmful for the urban environment. When realizing art in public space, political representation, the authors’ personal sensitivity, and the cooperation with the architect, who should oversee the quality of the adaptation, all play an important role.

V České republice každoročně probíhájí dvě přehlídky architektury: Česká cena za architekturu, pořádaná komorou, a Grand Prix architektů – Národní cena za architekturu. Obě dvě vrcholí na podzim. Jaký na to má názor Rostislav Koryčánek, historik architektury, kurátor a bývalý šéfredaktor ERA21?

Transport and its solutions inside the urban fabric are topics that keep coming back to architects like boomerangs. Systems of traffic layers, buildings for transport, the solution to car dominance, differences in street profiles, support of public transport, the near or distant future of driverless vehicles, these are some of the themes resonating through public space on a regular basis. What more can we say?