Prague plans to turn former railway and industrial land into new neighbourhoods. The Bubny-Zátory and Žižkov projects together envisage about 21,000 homes, while construction on the first site is not expected to finish until around 2050.
The Czech government estimates that Prague has lacked 91,000 homes since 2006. The city is now planning major redevelopment on former railway and industrial land, with two projects set to add about 21,000 homes between them.
The largest is Bubny-Zátory, where the city plans around 11,000 homes for 22,000 to 25,000 residents. The wider redevelopment is expected to cost $10 billion. Early infrastructure work and site preparation are under way, but full completion is not expected until close to 2050.
The housing shortage is part of a wider European squeeze. Eurostat data cited in the source shows EU home prices have risen about 60% since 2015, while construction costs have climbed 48%. Prague began construction on 7,380 homes in 2025, nearly 10% fewer than a year earlier, and completed 5,300.
There was a stronger start to 2026: nearly 2,800 homes began construction in the second quarter, up more than 59% on the same period a year earlier. Completions reached 1,240, reported as 64.5% above 2025. That increase has not erased the accumulated shortage.
Bubny-Zátory is planned between Vltavská and Nádraží Holešovice metro stations, across a site of about 250,000 square metres. The scheme also includes a concert hall intended for the Filarmónica de Praga, which would be the city’s first new symphonic concert hall in 100 years. By targeting disused sites within its boundaries, the city can build without expanding into the outskirts.
Žižkov is another former rail site being converted into a district. Plans envisage about 10,000 homes for around 20,000 people, alongside offices and cinemas. The city bought the land and original building for close to €60 million about two years ago, Novinky reported. Plans also include five kindergartens and two primary schools. Parks and social services are planned as well, with the city estimating the investment in these amenities at about €78 million.
A roughly two-kilometre tram line is due to enter service in 2027. Managed by the transport company Olšanská-Habrová, it is planned to have six stops and connect the development with Prague 3 and Prague 10. The estimated cost is 710 million korunas.
Vienna, about 300 kilometres from Prague, has used a public-housing model for decades. At EU level, the European Commission has proposed an Affordable Housing Act to give member states a shared framework for assessing housing-market pressures and possible measures. Spain’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda says the proposal reflects growing concern over access to housing. Separately, Madrid has announced birth and adoption grants worth €15.4 million.
