Ostrava city with future or a hopeless place?

If you ask anybody about Ostrava, most of them will definitely mention the collocation countrys
steel heart. During centuries, the city itself was a witness to the enormous economic, cultural and
political growth, mainly due to its advanced industry and the ever-present coalfields. However, the
situation has radically changed as companies have been slowly fading away along with the decline in
industry. What is the future of our city? Is there any possibility of saving it from the total decay?
Luckily, the main representatives of the city have already become aware of the situation and the
dangers resulting from them. Therefore, a new plan of the future of Ostrava has been discussed nearly
for a year. The public has been invited to contribute with their ideas and visions what should be done
or built in the area they live. The project called fajnOVA has become extremely popular on social
medias and the Internet. Furthermore, many parts of the city have been renovated or are planned to be,
creating new housings, places for relaxation, shopping and business centres. Two major universities
have been cooperating together, providing fine education to young people and participating in cultural
events. Modern and prosperous companies have been invited to Ostrava to open their subsidiaries
there and offer jobs.
Nevertheless, some may say that these actions have come too late. The population of Ostrava,
and subsequently of the whole Moravian-Silesian Region, has been slowly, but steadily decreasing.
People are leaving mainly to Prague or South Moravian Region not only because there is a lack of
well-paid jobs, but also rather because of the damaged environment, frequent occurrence of smog or a
lack of leisure-time activities. Thus, the city centre has been depopulating recently, which is associated
with the relocation of shops to largely populated areas. Homelessness has become a significant issue
as there are many people who do not have home or they are pretending not to have it, begging for
some money. Eventually, the level of crime rate has been rising, making people feel unsafe and
vulnerable.
Considering all the pros and cons, I think there is hope for Ostrava. Many cities in the world had
the problems mentioned above and they were able to overcome them. Personally, I highly appreciate
the approach of the municipal authorities to cooperate with ordinary people who might even have
spent their entire life here. And even thought it might have started a little bit late, I still believe that
Ostrava will handle this challenge and become great and prosperous again soon.

Michael Branny
R15002