Current Affairs Reforming Czech housing estates a tall order
If you look up the term 'sidliste' in any dictionary, it will be translated as 'housing estate', which is not exactly accurate. While images of urban decay are attached to the term 'housing estate', 'sidliste' just refers to the districts of prefabricated housing, in which 50% of Prague's inhabitants live. Often these 'sidliste' take the form of rows and rows of identical buildings, towering at around twenty stories high. Their aging grey facades may not be beautiful, but such buildings provide many Czechs with all basic living requirements. Are the days of such housing estates numbered? Rosie Johnston takes a look at the future of the Czech 'sidliste'.
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