By Petr ŠtĚpánek

Pankrác forms the center of Prague — at least its geographical center. While this fact might come as a surprise to many residents, developers have been aware of it for quite some time. See related story, B4.

When my father was a copy boy for the Czechoslovak News Agency (ČTK) in the early 1960s, his bosses told him he would soon be working in Pankrác. Of all of the grandiose plans developed for ČTK, Czechoslovak Radio and Czechoslovak Television, only the television buildings were actually constructed, at Kavčí hory.

Because television was of strategic importance, the building was built low and further out, protected by the steep slopes of Podolí. Surrounded by parks, the complex did not influence the skyline much. Next came a high-rise for Motokov, an import/export corporation dealing with metals and industrial products. Its height approached 100 meters (328 feet), and it made the first real dent in the Pankrác skyline. It was followed by the slightly shorter Panorama and Forum hotels.

The enormous white Palace of Culture (now the Congress Center) was built on the site of the famous SK Nusle soccer field. But communist developers wanted more — they started constructing the Czechoslovak Radio building.

Unopposed by fearful citizens, the building was supposed to be taller than the neighboring Motokov high-rise. However, for the first time, things started to go wrong. This time around, the planners were their own enemies. Because of a flaw in the plans and construction, the building was never completed. Legend has it that the chief architect killed himself when he realized the error in his plans.

After 1989, locals thought that they would finally have a say in how their neighborhood should look. They organized into several community associations and began communicating with the Prague 4 City Hall. Czech Radio sold its unfinished building and construction permit to developers. The high-rise had been planned to tower above the already vertiginous Motokov, and sellers assured the builders that they would be able to go at least as high.

Local residents pushed for a regulatory plan for the area, but Prague 4 City Hall, led by conservatives, managed to thwart attempts to draft one. Instead, the developers came up with their own master plan, a private manifest that has never been discussed with the public. Contacts between Prague 4 council members and developers were frequent, but no public hearings were held.

Many people lost hope and stopped interfering. Opposing a multibillion crown investor requires patience and lawyers. Few locals had both, but those who did used their resources wisely. In the tradition of sloppy decision-making, the permits contained errors, violated laws and were repeatedly rejected on appeal. The Prague 4 government and the developers agreed on widening the roads around the area in Pankrác called the Pentagon (the area around the Motokov and Panorama buildings, which is bordered by five roads).

They proposed four-lane roads with roundabouts instead of the narrow quiet streets with pedestrian crossings that currently exist. In a perverse plan, the main developer is serious about constructing three stories of aboveground parking garages — on the site of a neighborhood farmers' market and a bazaar. The only reason for the aboveground parking is greed: People would have to pass through a hypermarket when walking to the ground level. The Prague 4 government agreed to this proposal repeatedly and even sold municipal land to the main developer at a price well below the market rate.

The Civic Democratic Party (ODS) has been in power in Prague 4 since its establishment 15 years ago. Four mayors have spoken about public opposition to skyscraper development in Pankrác with contempt over that period. None of them was popularly elected; one left office in disgrace after proposing moving Roma (or Gypsies) out of town, and another was recalled by her own people on the council. A third was not able to explain the simple equation of his apartment cost being greater than the total of his taxed income; he was forced to resign.

Local papers covered stories of him having accepted money in envelopes in nightclubs from unknown investors. Yet these politicians always had enough money to run massive election campaigns assuring them close to half of the seats on Prague 4 City Council. Each time, a different minor party helped the ODS to elect its own mayor to the council with the public having no say in the matter. Such perks as positions in city-owned public entities were then distributed to the minor partner in the ODS–whoever coalition.

The current Prague 4 mayor is a pensioner who presides over the council with a quiet voice. When he loses track of what's going on, a former urban-planning commissioner takes over to help him push through land sales to developers. Such is the state of affairs in Prague 4, a district with 130,000 inhabitants — the fifth-biggest municipality in the country after Prague itself, Brno, Ostrava and Plzeň.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon developers are busy with the efforts to construct their garage over a hypermarket, and the public is being left out yet again. But things are changing. After 16 years of relative freedom and limping democracy, people are no longer fearful. They have started speaking out about their needs.

They want more public preschools. They want their parks to be green and free from dog excrement. They want developers to be accountable to community needs. They want narrower streets with trees and reduced traffic. They want bike paths and safe pedestrian crossings so that they will not die under the wheels of cars like stray dogs. And they want better public transportation.

They also want transparent city halls that respond to their needs rather than those of politicians beholden to developers. All of this may be possible thanks to the resistance of a few brave citizens who never lost hope and continued their struggle for a better neighborhood for 16 years. The people of Prague 4 can make themselves heard at the polls in 2006 four times: They will be voting for candidates in the Senate, in the Chamber of Deputies, on the Prague City Council and on the Prague 4 City Council.

Should anyone be surprised if they are looking for a change?