The Vltava Philharmonic has received a positive assessment, but our criticism remains

The Prague Vltava Philharmonic project received a positive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) opinion at the end of 2025. This means it is now a step closer to realization. The evaluators from the city hall—which is also the project investor—largely accepted the conclusions of the dependent consultant who prepared the assessment. Transport, which is the biggest source of air pollution in Prague, is barely addressed.

AutoMat has been criticizing the transport solution since the project was first presented. We question why, in this case, the city boulevard is not being humanized, but instead placed underground in a complicated, looping tunnel design. In our view, the proposed transport solution favors cars, while in many ways creating barriers and limitations for walking and cycling. The tunnel solution will also be very expensive—while the project authors themselves already suggest that parts of it could eventually be repurposed if people’s transport preferences change in the future.

For this reason, during the screening procedure and in subsequent comments, we demanded an assessment of all possible alternative variants that had previously been considered. We also called for comprehensive noise and air quality studies to be conducted by an independent assessor. This did not happen. The environmental assessment authorities were satisfied with the conclusion of the consultant that no other variants are feasible.

We disagree. The rejection of alternative transport solutions is mainly based on formal arguments (such as competition conditions or the architectural value of the proposed design). Yet in other aspects of the project, changes have already been made (such as increasing the building’s volume and its related impacts on the space). This also contradicts the purpose of environmental impact assessment, which should prioritize the option that has the least negative impact on the environment, surroundings, and sustainable transport.

We will therefore continue to monitor the preparation of the project, estimated at 12.6 billion CZK (with transport alone expected to cost 3 billion CZK), and continue to point out its shortcomings.

The full article with our statement in the EIA process, including a Q&A explaining our concerns, can be found here.