The so-called “Metropolitan sounding board” (MOZD) – a group of some 60 experts on disciplines ranging from urban affairs, architecture, engineering, sociology and theology – held its first meeting on Saturday to brainstorm about ways to bring Prague into the fold of modern European capitals, in terms of development.
The board, comprised of unpaid volunteer professionals, was conceived by Prague deputy mayor Tomáš Hudeček (TOP 09), who lamented that the city has been developing messily and on the fly — driven by profit-seeking developers and at the same time hindered by civic associations that lodge complaints with authorities to delay construction.
“Everyone has a share in the blame, but most often it is the politicians, who make incompetent decisions, unprofessionally and naively, many times expediently due to corruption,” Hudeček said, as cited by the daily Mláda fronta Dnes.
The MOZD, similar to an advisory group in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, hopes this broad group of intellectuals and concerned citizens can offer constructive criticism to municipal officials.
