analysis

weaknesses
S W
opportunities
strengths
O T
threats
SWOT
analysis
The SWOT analysis method, evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses
of the city, the opportunities for development and threats to this was
first used in 1994 when initiating work on the strategic plan. In 1998 the
results of this initial SWOT analysis were reassessed, updated and, after
the evaluation of suggestions made by politicians and experts, approved
in April 1999 by the regional co-ordination group for the development
program for Prague. The threats outlined in the SWOT analysis represent
the most evident risks facing Prague currently and those of the near
future, too. In fact, they embody the negative variations and sides of
possible future progress and are, indeed, warning signs.
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Prague integration into the European structure
Strengths • Prague’s position at the heart of Europe, the rapid renewal of its former
prestige and its continuing attraction • Prague’s traditional standing as the hub of the
Czech nation, head of political authority, culture and academia • Rise in the quality of
transport networks on a continental and global scale
Weaknesses • Poor level of external communication structures and weak city
marketing strategy • Incoherent central policy and lack of initiative to encourage international participation and relocation of world, European and national institutions into
the city
Opportunities • Continued consolidation of Prague’s standing on the European market as a perspective, dynamic and long-term stable and innovative city • Opening of dialogue with other major European cities • Use of Prague’s location in Europe supported
by appropriate investment into the service infrastructure and other means necessary to
attract important national and international institutions • Use of Prague’s exceptionally
rich history as an opportunity to take part in the integration process within the areas of
cultural heritage, conservation, cultural co-operation and tourism
Threats • Rapid narrowing of scope for taking full advantage of the current interest in
Prague due to lack of action, shortcomings in the quality of services offered and shortsighted marketing strategies from both the central and local authorities • An approach
that lacks concept and which does not allow the city to be fully represented and which
will succumb to the pressures of change and force Prague to become “just another ordinary city within a unified Europe” and thus result in a loss of prestige • Lack of investment in the further improvement of connection into the highlighted transport infrastructure and local transport and technical infrastructure • Fall in the importance of Prague as
a business and cultural centre in Europe as a direct result of the delayed integration into
Europe and dysfunctional infrastructure
The economy and human resources
Strengths • Open business environment, great investor confidence in the investment
stability of Prague, well-developed private sector and a favourable support system for
the tourism industry • Stable and diverse labour market and above-average quality of the
workforce • Great potential for science and education • Relatively good accessibility for
the majority of the regional hinterland and sufficient space both within and around the
city for securing its development
Weaknesses • Unfinished restructuring of the economic base, growing financial problems even for large firms, and continuing low economic effectiveness and competitiveness • Unco-ordinated and unclear relationships between city authorities and the business sector (potential investors) • Insufficient support of medium and small businesses
• Little use of the scientific and research resources that Prague has for innovation purposes • Absence of mid- or long-term budget planning and strategic policy on credit,
lack of review of city expenditure and its effective use • Not enough correlation or continuance between general and further education • Limited choice and variety of requalification and resocializing programs
Opportunities • Creation of a stable political and socio-economic climate to ensure
the ongoing attraction of Prague as a business city to both foreign and Czech firms
alike • Creation of conditions for an effective, competitive and motivating labour
market • Utilization of the well-qu alified and flexible workforce and its continuing
comparative advantage in terms of salaries and expenditure • Utilization of European
know-how in creating an implementation strategy for development of the city’s
economy
Threats • Worsening macro-economic conditions across the whole country which have
an effect upon investors who lose faith in the wisdom of relocating to Prague
• Slowdown in restructuring and hence a worsening of the parameters and levels of business efficiency, which affects competitiveness on markets both here and abroad • Further underestimation of the sustainability of development and overestimation of shortterm factors and positive effects • Low activity in the fields of academia, science and the
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consumer sphere and the loss of the capital’s innovative role in national life • The frequently uncontrolled and devastating course of restructuring which, apart from anything
else, does not give sufficient room for effective use of resources
Quality of life
Strengths • Continuation of spiritual and material development and renewal of the spiritual atmosphere attributed to a city that is open to impulses from diverse cultures and
persuasions • Living standards above Czech norms, relatively high social stability and
strong middle-class make-up of society with the highest concentration of high school
and university graduates in the whole of the republic • Balanced social structure
Weaknesses • Worsening demographic structure and ageing Prague population coupled with the growth of problematic social groups • High proportion of housing estates
that offer nothing more than accommodation that were built to low technical standards
and offering very few job opportunities • Slow rate of housing completion which has
been continuing over a longer period of time • Growth of crime rates, including organized crime and unlawful acts in general (e.g., drugs and prostitution related) • Slow integration of the physically handicapped into society at large and slow removal of the tangible barriers that restrict their right to freedom of movement • Lack of integration of
those groups likely to be socially excluded from society • Low participation of the public
in decision-making and lack of identification with the local community and Prague as a
whole • Low levels of civic awareness and feelings of responsibility
Opportunities • Re-evaluation of Prague’s multicultural traditions and utilization of its
cultural importance to improve economic performance • Creation of stable round-theyear interest in Prague as a tourist attraction by supporting profitable tourism and offering an attractive program of events (even in the off season) • Conservation of the overall
character of the city by keeping the aesthetic and cultural in mind while bringing development projects into fruition • Preservation of the mixed social make-up of the majority
of residential areas in the city
Threats • Continuing demographic trends (ageing populace, falling birth rates) bringing negative side effects to both economic and social areas • Social collapse of Prague
housing estates over a relatively short period of time, if such estates are not provided
with new facilities, especially job opportunities, if nothing is done to help residents identify more with such estates, and if the technical state of their homes is not improved
• Low level of civic responsibility toward maintenance of property and the environment
in general, especially in terms of the quality and safety of public places, buildings and
green areas • Growing xenophobia and expressions of racism among certain parts of the
population and caused by the rising numbers of foreigners in the city • Growth in the
crime rate and increasing levels of drug addiction • Further loss of public interest in public matters if there is no co-operation between local authorities and the public. This will
have further negative implications for the political scene in general
Quality of the environment
Strengths • Exceptionally rich history and culture • Unique and well-known genius loci
• Rich potential of both the city and suburban landscape with the added advantage of
the river Vltava
Weaknesses • General overburdening of the centre, particularly of the Prague Heritage
Conservation Area • Incomprehensive, and in some cases, lack of care of historical sites
particularly of those outside the conservation area • Heavy air pollution mainly in the
central parts of the city caused by congestion and negative geomorphologic conditions
• Noise pollution from traffic and other sources • Pollution of underground water sources
in the city • Unacceptable state of the majority of central and suburban green areas and
a dysfunctional green system • Vandalism and unsatisfactory level of cleanliness of the
public byways and local neglect of building maintenance
Opportunities • Reduction in traffic intensity particularly in the city centre and in residential and ecologically sensitive areas • Further reduction in air pollution caused by in-
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dustrial emissions and heating systems • Overall improvement in the care of the historical sites including appropriate legislation and control mechanisms • Revitalization of
urban and suburban green areas and strengthening of their functions in terms of eco-stabilization • Renewal of the ecological and recreational potential of waterways and reservoirs in the city • Renewal and regeneration of the housing estates as a whole • Support
of a polycentric structure and easing of the fully overburdened city centre • Effective and
environmentally friendly system of waste management (higher level of waste sorting and
recycling etc.)
Threats • Further growth in the negative effects of car transport on the environment
and on the inhabitants of the city should the current problems be allowed to go unresolved • Devaluation of historical sites as a result of their unsuitable use and insensitive
urban measures • Loss of Prague’s genius loci and increase in eyesores that destroy its
panorama • Inadequate flood protection, especially in the historical city centre • Loss of
green areas and non-built-up areas suitable for greening • Disproportional pressure upon
protected areas • Unchecked urbanization of suburban areas and disturbance of the traditional settlement structure and appearance of the city due to the increase in the
number of unsuitable building going up • Lack of co-ordination between Prague and the
Central Bohemia Region when forming land use policies • General drying up of the
Prague landscape as a result of insensitive and poorly planned urban policies • Unecological waste disposal policy and contamination of soil and underground water sources
Transport
Strengths • Well-functioning public transport system (especially the electric powered
means of transport), which is popular and well used by the public • Functioning integrated regional public transport system
Weaknesses • High demands on passenger transport as a result of an uneven distribution of individual functions (i.e., residential/work/social facilities) throughout Prague
• Low level permeation of city roads; lack of by-pass routes around Prague and the inner
city which currently prevents any marked reduction in the volume of incoming traffic
throughout the city • Insufficient activity on the part of Czech Railways aimed at improving the quality of suburban transport services
Opportunities • To ensure a high level of interest among residents and visitors alike in
Prague’s public transport services by making more attractive and giving preference to
public transport • To create favourable conditions that protect the city from non-essential
motor vehicles by completing the outer and inner ring road
Threats • Weakening of the position of public transport and further growth in private
car use on the low capacity road network • Worsening of the natural environment in
areas of concentrated transport • Paralysis of the majority of the city transport systems as
the city becomes unable to secure an efficient public transport infrastructure based on a
preference for public transport
Technical infrastructure
Strengths • Widespread use of more ecological fuel and district heating systems, gradual overhaul and redevelopment of the energy network • Sufficient mid-term capacity of
technical service backup systems (apart from central water purification plants)
Weaknesses • Insufficient capacity of the central waste water treatment plant, insufficient waste water treatment and areas that remain unconnected to public sewerage
• Problematic location of the water source in Podolí and of the central wastewater treatment plant • Outdated and dilapidated water management infrastructure, high levels of
water lost through leakage in the network • Above average public consumption of and
demand for energy in Prague.
Opportunities • To improve water quality of the rivers Vltava and Elbe through the creation of a new central waste water treatment plant • To reach optimum goals for usage
and capacity by upgrading and modernizing the water and sewer systems in general, intensification and implementation of a new 3-tier purification system at selected water
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stations and the running of a water management infrastructure by specialists • To improve air quality by using district heating systems, changing over to modern heating
methods and using high quality fuels • To reduce energy consumption by insulating
panel buildings and improving the technical state of old buildings • To increase the capacity of the telecommunications infrastructure
Threats • Collapse of the city’s basic functional systems due to the unreliability of its
technical infrastructure • Dependency of infrastructure systems on certain external factors that are not within the city’s control
City management and administration
Strengths • Prague is traditionally seen as an independent administrative unit • Longterm continuity in the spatial development planning of the city • Well-advanced system
of university education and research centres in the areas of human sciences which creates a bank of well-qualified people upon which the city can draw • The City of Prague
Act which allows for comprehensive problem solving in the areas of city administration
and development
Weaknesses • Unclear, complicated and hypertrophied system of public administration
• Insufficient co-operation and teamwork between Prague and its neighbouring region
• Continuing neglect and failure to appreciate Prague by the central government • Unsuitable division of work and responsibilities between politicians and civil servants • Poor
use of information systems in the decision-making and implementation processes, further hampered by the lack of a universal set of communication and data norms
Opportunities • To utilize the existence of public administration central authorities in
the city and of higher education and research foundations as a resource to bring together specialist teams to work on the issue of city development and on questions related to community politics and administration • To monopolize on the changes being
undertaken in the territorial administrative organization of the city to create a more
transparent system and to offer a higher quality of service to both the public and private
sectors • To create a citywide information system which can be used as a uniform basis
for data and information services for the city administration and public alike • To make
use of the statutory bodies of the Central Bohemia Region with the aim of improving the
standard of co-operation and teamwork between the city and its neighbouring region
when co-ordinating development policy and initiatives • To make the most of Prague
representation’s conviction about the necessity to reform the city administration • To
make the most of Prague representation’s interest in preparing a long-term city development strategy
Threats • Continuing rivalry between Prague central and local borough authorities with
regards the scope and division of powers • Lack of success in the effort to reform public
administration as a public service • Low level of co-operation between the city authorities, businesses and the public at large, which in turn encourages general passivity and
low participation levels in decision-making processes
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