BUSINESS
Mezinárodní atletický mítink Zlatá tretra. Foto Jiří Zerzoň
Ostra Group Open tennis tournament
and many more are just a few examples.
However, I believe there is still room
for further growth, and I would like to
see progress become more visible. I am
pleased to announce that next year
the Hockey World Championship will
return to Ostrava hosting this event in
2015 and I invite everyone to join this
sporting event.
How do you think the city can bring new
people to Ostrava permanently?
Most importantly, we need to continue
to develop and offer quality education
combined with promising employment
opportunities.
I
must
commend
the work of the University of Ostrava
and the Technical University of Ostrava.
The city of Ostrava works closely
with the Universities and continues to
contribute to their projects. For example,
last year the University of Ostrava opened
a unique campus, and it was the city of
Ostrava who donated the land and also
supported it financially. The campus is
now able to link education with sport
and culture. Therefore, it serves not only
the students, but also the general public.
Our vision to bring people to Ostava can
be done by offering education, skilled
employment opportunities, culture, sport
and leisure activities. When people in
the Czech Republic find out that they can
find all this in Ostrava, we have won and
so do they.
Where does Ostava stand in respect to
daily life in the city being affected by
traffic?
I believe that our transportation company
provides the highest level of services,
not only within the Czech Republic but
also on a broader scale. This is achieved
by having a modern fleet of vehicles
combined with our ability to act as
a carrier of many innovations and provide
excellent service. In an attempt to prevent
cost increases and improve the efficiency
of our management, we also focus on cost
rationalisation.
Regarding transport infrastructure, we
have identified the need to complete
Místecká Street and the North Link to
relieve the traffic congestion on streets
Rudná and Opavská. We are currently
working on both key projects with several
smaller projects underway.
How does housing play a role when it
comes to deciding where to live?
Accessible housing plays an important
role when it comes to deciding where
to live, and that is why we have stopped
the existence of vacant lots in the city
and why we have implemented plans to
offer comfortable and affordable rental
housing. Some projects like the Střelniční
and Janáčkova apartment residences have
already been brought back to life. Other
projects like the Nové Lauby residence,
are under construction, while other
projects like the Stodolní Residence are in
the project stage.
In the future, I would like to see increased
participation of private investors. The city
should refrain from directly entering
the development market and instead
focus on creating favourable conditions
for private developers.
Mr. Mayor, thank you for the interview.
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