Village Structure in the City: An Analysis of the Original Communal Areas of Stodůlky
Abstract: Only a few European cities were founded as completely new with a regular and orthogonal structure. The historical layers of the city development are well noticeable. A historical centre surrounded by a younger development is the most common structure. Developing, the core cities would include surrounding settlements into their structure. Some younger settlements were built as city suburbs that in time got annexed by the city. Some existed independently for centuries, just like the core city. These settlements had a village structure and character, including a separate main public space, a village common or a wider street. This contribution analyses the main village commons of one of such places, Stodůlky. It was an independent village up to the second half of the twentieth century. This case study is a pilot study of a dissertation that aims to highlight the specifics of public spaces of village character in city environment through an analysis of a representative sample of historical village commons. Its revitalization is commonly realized employing city manuals for creation of public spaces that do not distinguish between different types of public spaces, and commonly do not respect its specific character and history. Preserving valuable parts of the original structure and character can be helped by declaring the space as a village monument reserve or a “historical core of formerly independent settlements” in the city planning documents. Stodůlky fit into both categories but their village commons were changed multiple times lowering their overall quality. Nowadays, the village commons area is not much frequented and is not that much of an attraction. This case study aims to identify individual changes in the public spaces and their consequences. These changes are identified and analyzed based on data gathered from historical maps, photographs and publications, documenting its original village commons starting from the nineteenth century up to the present-day. Data showing the present state are gathered in situ and using a questionnaire. The residents of Stodůlky district and broader Prague territory were asked about their use of the public space both in person and via the internet. Apart from their current use of the area, the questionnaire also inquires into public opinion on possible future revitalization and uses of such revitalized public spaces. An important outcome was that the village commons are not finding much use of the public areas as it is today, and that the respondents are inclined to revitalization and renewal of the area. Based on these findings, the contribution offers some revitalization possibilities.
