Olomouc high school students miss hip-hop and trams, they are bothered by SEFO

Olomouc - More than three hundred students from Olomouc high schools have already had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the process of creating a new urban plan for the city of Olomouc. A series of discussions provided students the chance to meet part of the team working on the preparation of the urban plan. The main development document of the city, which is to be approved by the council next year, will soon be presented to the public in draft form for comments. High school students had the chance to comment on the proposals of officials and architects already now.
Representatives of the Department of Concept and Development of the Olomouc City Hall and the company Knesl + Kynčl Architects first explained to students during the discussions what the urban plan actually means and how it can influence the appearance of the city in the coming decades. Students and their teachers then asked all sorts of questions. “Has a decision been made about the Central European Forum?” asked eighteen-year-old student from Čajkovský Gymnasium and quickly added that while he likes the design of the building itself, he would definitely place it elsewhere than next to historical buildings. “Once the Galerie Šantovka is built, will trams go to Nové Sady and Povel from there? Will the line be connected to Nová Ulice?” were other questions. Students often inquired about tram transport. “Is it planned that trams will continue to run down Denisova Street and further into the center? I think tram transport doesn't fit there very well, couldn't they run down Dobrovského instead?” was another student's question on this topic.
Students who did not participate in the debates were also given the opportunity to express their opinions. In extensive questionnaires, everyone explained what they liked and disliked about Olomouc. What was most often mentioned as a shortcoming in the questionnaires? Dozens of respondents complained that Olomouc lacks a hip-hop and rock music club. “There should be regular concerts here, not much happens for young people,” wrote an eighteen-year-old student. Students are bothered by the cancellation of night public transport routes, they would like, among other things, a multiplex cinema or an entertainment center right in the city center, and they also criticize, for example, the shape of the area currently being completed in front of the train station. “There's just concrete everywhere, it looks inhuman, cold, I really don't like it,” stated a seventeen-year-old student from Čajkovský Gymnasium. Conversely, high school students positively evaluated the pleasant appearance of the city center, more greenery than, for example, in Prague, the existence of a university and a decent selection of study fields. “There is completely a lack of technical fields in the offerings,” countered some students from the Secondary Industrial School of Mechanical Engineering.
About three hundred completed questionnaires are now being evaluated by SocioFactor, with the results expected to be available in the first half of March.