The exhibition showcases European ideas on how to improve cities

Prague - Chemistry, newly developed materials, or physical discoveries could serve to transform the urban public space into an environment much friendlier to its residents. Intelligent technology combining software and hardware will enable real-time data collection, energy generation, and subsequent storage, or can adapt materials. How this looks in practice is showcased in the exhibition Active Public Space at the Kvalitář gallery on Senovážné Square in Prague.

"The cornerstone of changing the functioning of cities should be intelligent technologies and a simple approval process for their implementation," said exhibition curator Jan Dotřel to ČTK today. The exhibition is not made up of individual objects, but photographs and videos presenting attempts to change cities.

In Prague, the topic is addressed by the Center for Central European Architecture, which, among other things, advocates for the transformation of Prague's main road into an urban boulevard. The exhibition features a record of the event Air - Movement - Sound, which the center organized with artist Martin Kindernay, and whose title captures the main problems of the main road, Dotřel noted. He reminded that although a large number of cars pass through the vicinity of I.P. Pavlova Square daily, even more people cross the main road, over 50,000.

The purpose of the Prague project is primarily to continually highlight the problem of the main road, as the Prague city leadership repeatedly promises to address the traffic artery dividing the metropolis. Other cities represented in the exhibition are also dealing with air pollution; in Barcelona, the overheating of the urban environment is an additional concern.

"An example of intelligent technologies is the construction of so-called hubs, interactive units within the city that can reduce the temperature in their vicinity by ten degrees. This concept was implemented in Madrid in 2007 with the construction of Eco Boulevard," stated Dotřel. Hubs, however, do not have to take the form of just buildings; for instance, a curb made from a special porous material can refresh the air by releasing aerosol.

In Barcelona, the polluted air can be improved by tiered gardens made of photocatalytic paving stones that clean the air of nitrogen oxides. According to Dotřel, "smart" technologies are also beginning to address the external environment. The project of Rotterdam's Studio Roosegaarde Smart Highway operates on the basis of photovoltaic energy, which can indicate increased speed on the road, the condition of the pavement, or traffic. Solar energy can illuminate roads and entire sidewalks. The exhibition showcases many other projects, including small and well-known benches offering a source of energy from the sun or the possibility of painting house facades using drones.