CITY IN TRANSITION - THE ROLE OF RENT GAPS IN PRAGUES REVITALIZATION

This article attempts to identify some trends in the recent urban restructuring of the city of Prague within the framework of the rent gap theory. As the contemporary development is considerably influenced by structures inherited from the past, this article starts with a brief outline of the development in Prague's city structure. Basic features of socialist housing policy and its impact on the development of Prague's social-ecological structure are discussed. An introduction to the basic steps of economic reform related to the urban environment is given as a background to hypothesis on the role of rent gaps in the inner-city restructuring process. Particularities of the application of the rent gap theory in the context of the transition from a centrally planned to a market economy are stressed, and the role of a specific force, namely, functional gaps, is outlined. Some implications of rent gap theory for the urban restructuring of Prague are outlined. and the social aspects of contemporary development are stressed.