Socio-Spatial Inequalities in the Czech Metropolitan Areas: The Case of Prague Metro

Social inequalities have increased in the Czech Republic since the collapse of communism. While this has not led to an intensification of territorial inequalities, yet the analysis of the Prague metropolitan area presented in this chapter shows that pressure toward socio-spatial inequalities might increase in the near future. In particular, the abandoning of rent regulations decided by the national government in 2013 is likely to accelerate sorting of residents into affluent and poorer areas. Several features of the Czech local government system will, nevertheless, counteract a deepening of socio-spatial inequalities: centralized redistribution of revenues among municipalities, earmarked central government grants for specific services or investments, as well as centrally regulated municipal expenditures resulting in standardized level of municipal services