In the autumn of 2021, after several months of hard work, Prague 7 has managed to transform the neglected underpasses on Vltavská Street into a barrier-free sports spot. After the reconstruction of the surrounding areas, the underpasses lost their original purpose, and therefore the Prague 7 district has set itself the goal of turning the unsightly spot into a place where people will have a reason and a desire to stop. Such transformation is still quite unique in Central Europe. However, it could eventually lead to a deeper understanding of what possibilities are provided by sites that may seem inhospitable at first sight. In other words, the typical city no-go zone can swiftly become a place that attracts hundreds of visitors every day.
"The underpasses on Vltavská have been more of a poorly lit maze in recent years, which everyone preferred to avoid. We asked ourselves what to do with such a specific space in the centre of Prague so that it does not remain an unused dead place, which is only a disgrace in the city," says the Deputy Mayor of Prague 7 and Prague City Councillor for culture and tourism Hana T?e?tíková and she adds: “Thanks to the great commitment of a number of skilful and creative people, we managed to wake up this inhospitable zone and create an original community space.“
It was a pair of local patriots Richard Preisler and Martin Kontra who were requested by Prague 7 to come up with a concrete solution. For this purpose, they invited architects from U / U Studio to help. “The result is a project of a multifunctional sports and social centre. Underpasses are now enlivened by sports elements for skateboarding and BMX, basketball hoops or bouldering grips. However, the space offers a friendly environment for everyone; parents with children and other inhabitants or any passers-by. It is particularly this multifunctionality thanks to which the place will be alive, friendly and safe. At the same time, the change will certainly be appreciated by pedestrians, who will no longer have to walk through a dark, neglected underpass. The experience of the first days after the completion of the construction suggests that the plan has been successful,” say Kontra and Preisler.
▼地下通道在夜間變得更加安全
The underpass becomes safer at night ? U/U Architects
The idea behind this project also reflects modern trends in urbanism. Often, there is no need to demolish and then build from scratch. Restoring public spaces can sometimes be easier than it seems, for example by the use of colour scheme that humanizes the mass of concrete, as in this case. Kontra and Preisler explained what they followed in humanizing the space: “We had no intention of building another enclosed skate park. We mapped the needs of everyone – women and men across generations. At one point they crossed paths – only open sharing (in this case, the sharing of a sports site) has a chance to awaken empathy and respect in people within the contours of contemporary big-city stress. And that's the point: when you meet, you have to find a way to get along. It is the leitmotif of every major settlement and connects Mumbai, Berlin, Sao Paulo and New York.” This is an important aspect that Prague 7 wished to promote here and hopefully even spread. The skate park and other sports elements will be open to the public free of charge all year round. The underpasses are illuminated, remain fully passable and do not close.
▼全天候的滑板公園
24/7 skate park ? U/U Architects
“作為‘滑板公園設計師’，我們立刻就意識到滑板運動及其他娛樂活動將會完美地修復這塊陰暗的場地。愛好滑板的人群在公園開放之后，立即走到了聚光燈之下并開始維護這塊空間。這些青少年對有一個可以風雨無憂且全天開放的滑板場地（場地擁有全天候照明）非常滿意。這塊場地由此看起來正在煥發生機，激發快樂并且成為一個讓所有人都感到安全的地方。” U / U Studio的Martin Hrouda說道。
"As a 'skate architects' we immediately knew, that implementation of skateboarding and other leisure activities is the perfect healing of this shady area. Skate community occupy this spot right after opening and is taking care of it. Adolescents are happy to have a rain cover place where they can (due to 24/7 light) ride all day night. Putting new life and joy into the spot appeared to work and the place became to be safe for everyone.“ say Martin Hrouda from U / U Studio.
▼該項目為城市更新提供新的思路
The projects provides new inspirations for urban renovation ? U/U Architects
Similar problems with deserted and unwelcoming spaces are solved by cities and municipalities throughout the country. Therefore, Prague 7 is also ready to offer its experience and advise to everyone who would be inspired by the project. In the end, the success of any project may not only be the project itself, but also the spread of awareness of the possibilities of how to approach public space today.
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