The Brno-south district is seeking a vision for the transformation of Komárov in an urban planning competition

Brno - The Brno-South district is seeking a vision for the transformation of the wider Komárov center. According to the city hall, the area faces many challenges such as heavy traffic, noise pollution, and a lack of quality public spaces. For the first time, the city hall has decided to go the route of an urban competition, which it considers an effective way to obtain a design of the highest possible quality. From 22 registered workshops with international participation, the jury selected five teams in June, which will develop their proposals by September 19. The winning design will result in a technical study, said Deputy Mayor Jakub Holas (STAN) to ČTK today.

The process began in February with a participatory part, during which representatives of the district gathered residents' opinions on how they use the space, what they like about it, and what they would like to change. "The place does not function at all as the main promenade of Brno-South. Cars and roads tear it apart into several incongruous parts, resulting in chaos and a traffic hub where no one wants to linger longer than necessary," stated one of the respondents. Feedback was provided to the competitors to ensure their proposals align as closely as possible with the community's needs. Several thousand people live throughout Komárov.

The current state of the area is primarily influenced by insensitive interventions from the communist era, such as monumental residential construction or traffic arteries that divide the territory. "Urban spaces feature sterile residual greenery typical of panel housing estates, lacking any deeper concept. There used to be a meandering river and a floodplain forest here," noted the architect of the district, Tomáš Dvořák.

The city hall expects the competitors to propose a new urban concept for the area, a vision for the future, and a design for addressing the issues. They are also tasked with dividing the modifications into phases so that some can be immediately implemented. The proposal should include, among other things, transportation solutions that will make the area safe and accessible for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as designing parks and developments where, for example, a community hall, community center, or kindergarten could be located.

The best proposal will be chosen by a jury consisting of architects, landscape architects, representatives of local government, and transportation experts. Holas estimates the competition costs to be about 1.5 million crowns, and the subsequent study could cost about half a million. Minor changes that do not require a building permit could be expected by the end of next year, while larger modifications are a matter of the coming years, the deputy mayor added.