Geografie 1965, 70, 41-54
To the Problem of Zonality of the Demographic Conditions in Prague
From the urbanistic point of view we distinguish the central region (districts Prague 1,2 and 7) from the centre itself (Prague 1), whose business core is the so-called Golden Cross (Wenceslas' square and the surrounding area). The centre of Prague in the same way as the centres of other great cities has undergone a process of depopulation: in the last hundred years the number of inhabitants has decreased by one third. Housing has been repressed by business, service and administrations. As a result of a number of negative factors - especially the great concentration of workplaces, people and traffic, the fast pace of living and bad hygienic conditions (dust, noise) - a series of negative demographic and hygienic phenomena reach their maximum in the centre of Prague. Thus relatively the greatest number of divorces, abortions, suicides, alcoholism and the highest incidence rate of a variety of diseases (mental disorders, nervous, infectious, venereal diseases and tuberculosis) center here. The greatest disease rate and mortality in cancer is in the area of the highest dust fall (Prague 7). Further we observe an unfavourable age structure (less than average number of children, above the average for old people), an unfavourable structure of households (the greatest number of households consisting of one person) and the highest infantile mortality. One fourth of the total number of traffic accidents takes place in the centre. These are also caused by the insufficient capacity of throughfares including pavements. Another problem is the dislocation of industrial and of a number of traffic constructions and the inadequate number of hygienic devices. In the centre there is one third, in the central region one half of the total of workplaces of Prague. The number of people working in the centre is double that of those living here; the density of the active population per one km2 is 15 times higher than in the rest of the town area. Most people work in business and service organizations, one quarter of them in the Golden Cross area. Some of the unfavourable demographic and hygienic features are also caused by the social and occupational structure of the inhabitants of the centre which does not differ too much from the rest of the town, but we still observe a lower ratio of workers, whereas the majority of the inhabitants works in business and other services. Educational standards of the population are above the average. The General Plan of Prague adopted recently is designed to ensure the centre's rebuilding so as to eliminate the shortcomings referred to above. We plan to make the living environment healthier by moving industries to other areas and decreasing the number of workplaces and by a radical solution of the traffic problem: underground tram lines, circular automobile highways and storeyed garages and parkings will be built under the above plan. The areas of green and municipal facilities will be enlarged. The historical core will be reconstructed and equipped with new technique. These measurements will bring a great improvement in hygienic and demographic conditions in the centre of Prague.
