We Keep Overlooking the Processes That Divide Our Society












            ******************************************************************************************

            * We Keep Overlooking the Processes That Divide Our Society
            ******************************************************************************************
            The Charles University Faculty of Science and the Ministry for Regional Development of the

            have just released a book called Residential Segregation. The book aims to introduce the k
            segregation to civil servants, non-profits, academics and the general public. Dr. Luděk Sý
            co-authors, shares the details.
                                                                                                      
            The book was supported by the Ministry for Regional Development. Does it address current i
            The issues of residential segregation started to be addressed when the Czech Republic was 
            had been already discussed in the European context, entered our public debate. These issue
                                                                                                      
            causes and implications.                                                                  
                                                                                                      

            One of the things the book is trying to stress is the fact that segregation, that had been
            connected with the Roma minority and later with foreigners in general, also happens in the
            society, be it the people in the poorer neighbourhoods like the housing projects in Northe

            well-off people living in apartment complexes surrounded by fences and watched by security

            What will the implications of segregation be?

            Unless we focus on segregation both on national and local level, we will see socially excl
            neighbourhoods, as well as more so-called gated communities, grow and expand. Between the 
            of mixed neighbourhoods will diminish. I think that we keep overlooking some of the phenom

            that will eventually divide our society, for example the privatization of streets. In the 
            many examples of neighbourhoods such as Brno-Ivanovice, which one almost cannot walk throu
            whole streets are sectioned off by gates and fences. The same goes for Prague. The private

            conspicuous here – they might be labelled as public on the map, but if you go there, you’l
            “private property” signs. One chapter focuses on the rise of the so-called gated communiti
            of new apartments in Prague are situated in such communities. A certain group of people th

            separates itself from the rest of the society, demarcating the space for the rest of the s
            process. There is no discussion about how we define public spaces and private spaces and w
            are, because we are afraid of it. In the meantime, people will divide our cities into priv

            streets and neighbourhoods.
            What’s your opinion of the developments in Prague?
            For over twenty years, Prague has relied on its being the centre of government, banks, ser

            fact that it is the entrance to the Czech Republic. Not much thought has gone into the way
            its potential to invest into the neighbourhoods that need improvements. We are interested 
            works as a whole in which each part fulfils its function. The city is differentiated, but 

            an integrated socioeconomic unit. When the development is uneven, the functional integrity
            suffers. Partial and short-term interests have unfortunately prevailed over a long-term vi
            city’s development. The city’s institutions are not independent of the personal views and 

            politicians and officials, who set the social rules, oversee them and control the distribu
            The stereotypes and prejudices of those who are in power do affect their political decisio
            to the system, as well as to individual practices of particular politicians and officials 

            or support the process or segregation. Some might even use segregation as a strategy of po
            promotion.


            P.K.

            Sýkora, L., ed. (2010) Rezidenční segregace [ URL "http://web.natur.cuni.cz/~sykora/pdf/

            Sykora_ed_2010_Rezidencni_segregace.pdf"] . Praha, Univerzita Karlova v Praze, Přírodověde
            Ministerstvo pro místní rozvoj České republiky, 144 s.



            Translation: Jaroslav Švelch