New Edition Released: ARL Country Profile Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a unitary state in central Europe composed of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia. Since 1993, spatial governance has been based on decentralised administration with strong roles for regions and municipalities alongside state coordination.

The ARL Country Profile of the Czech Republic, authored by Univ.-Prof. Karel Maier, summarises the country’s spatial planning and territorial governance system within its constitutional framework.

Spatial planning operates on three main levels: national Spatial Development Policy (PÚR), regional Spatial Development Principles (ZÚR), and municipal Spatial Plans (ÚP) and Regulatory Plans (RP). The system is hierarchical, with lower-level plans required to comply with higher-level ones. The Ministry for Regional Development (MMR) plays a key coordinating role.

Since the transition after 1989, planning has shifted from a centralised model to a decentralised system influenced by EU policies. The Planning and Building Acts (2006 and 2021) formalised this structure, strengthened legal procedures, and introduced public participation and coordination with environmental and sectoral authorities.

👉 Read the full Country Profile of Czech Republic here