Background

Pilsen, an industrial, commercial, cultural, and administrative centre of the western part of the Czech Republic, is running for the European Capital of Culture 2015. The city’s image is still too closely connected with the decline of heavy industry, so Pilsen is trying to reinvent itself and establish a long-term vision of development.

The Future City Game in Pilsen concentrated on the needs of individual districts in the city, with a special focus on the challenges related to the European Capital of Culture bid. The game was co-organised by Pilsen Municipality, Centre for community work – Western Bohemia and ProCulture.

Objectives

Pilsen’s city centre, as in many other cities, is depopulated, since the majority of residents live in suburban areas. Young graduates are having difficulties finding work opportunities. Consequently, many professionals are moving away.In order to enrich the city’s quality of life, Pilsen is trying to actively engage its residents and business sector in its development plans, establish secure continuous support for youth culture and non-governmental organisations, provide additional leisure and sports facilities, and improve its cultural offer.

The game brought together the city administration and residents and enabled them to exchange ideas and work together on the city’s future image and the European Capital of Culture bid. The city administration gained an interesting insight into the residents’ views and ideas about improving the quality of life in the city. The residents actively participated in a discussion on the city’s future and established a valuable realtionship with the city administration.

The participating teams came up with a number of interesting ideas and projects for the European Capital of Culture 2015 bid; Dancing Vibrations festival persuaded the majority.

Winning idea

Dancing Vibrations

The winning idea combines a traditional art form with urban artistic expression and actively engages local residents by bringing the events onto the streets of Pilsen. An annual dance festival would enliven the streets of Pilsen and attract a wide range of publics by featuring various events, ranging from dance performances to dance parties. To achieve a European dimension, Pilsen festival would engage partner cities and exchange ideas through various networks. The festival could have a long-term impact on the whole region, attract more tourists and investment.

Winning ideas from the other teams

The Youth Centre in Lochotin

Between the 1960’s and 1980’s massive prefab blocks of flats were constructed in Pilsen. They account for about 36% of the city’s housing. The Yellow Team focused on the area of Lochotin, a suburban area with approximately 50,000 people. The survey showed that there is a lack of leisure centres in Lochotín. The Yellow Team’s idea is about improving the quality of life in the area by providing new sports and leisure facilities for the youngsters. The new Youth Centre would be part of an already existing commercial and sport centre. Various activities would be free of charge and based on children’s interest and needs.

Pilsen - Your Space

Blue Team’s idea focused on the civil society and encourages resident’s active engagement in the city’s development.The survey showed that people were not satisfied with the current situation, but if they were given a chance to change certain things, they would probably not do so. The idea is to more closely connect residents through various events and provide them with public spaces for self expression (such as the graffiti area below Saský Bridge ).

Multifunctional Centre for Culture and Education

The Red Team focused on the integration of education and culture. Their idea is based on a new multifunctional centre that offers alternative education, hosts workshops and events to raise awareness on individual issues, encourages debates on the city’s development, and promotes networking. The centre would provide support for young talented artists by allowing them to use the infrastructure free of charge, and encourage them to share their knowledge with others by organising various workshops.The multifunctional centre would consist of a triangular multifunctional building and an open space. The multifunctional building would house a technical library and ŠKODA archive, exhibition and presentation area, an exhibition area with an adjoining lawn separated by glass. The open space would be used for various arts events (theatre, dance, etc).

Pilsner Port - a Cultural Hub

The Green Team’s idea reinvents Pilsner Port and transforms it into a meeting point for different cultures, thus enabling people of different backgrounds who live, work or study in Pilsen to present their individual cultures through various cultural events. The centre, located in the ‘U Zvonu’ area, would comprise a multipurpose hall for approximately 150 people, exhibition hall, information centre, and offices. The management of the centre would be put in the hands of Pilsen municipality, and the programme would be run by different societies. A cultural hub enriches the city’s cultural life, provides information on different cultures, and promotes cultural tolerance.