Vnitřní Město

Vnitřní Město, or "Inner City" in English, is the geographic and commercial center of Plzeň, as well as its oldest part. The city was first granted a civic charter by King Václav II in 1295, and some buildings in this part of the city are really that old. I would define Vnitřní Město s the Mže River to the north, the Radbuza River to the east, Americká to the south, and Sady Pětatřicátníků to the north. Dominating the district is the Church of Saint Bartholomew, which has the tallest spire in all of the Czech Republic. Other interesting sites include the Pilsner Beer Museum, the network of underground tunnels built in the Middle Ages for storage and shelter, the old water tower, plague column, and town hall. The small neighborhood remains fairly mixed income, and the architecture in the neighborhood is visually appealing, and each building is slightly different from the next. Businesses also vary quite a lot, as this is the commercial heart of the city. So, in addition to restaurants and cafés, shoe stores and tea shops can be found on the ground floors of buildings as well. Almost all residential buildings are older, from between the Middle Ages to the 1920s and 1930s. Of note is the fact that sidewalks here are made of very large, flat stones, instead of the more traditional cobblestone sidewalks in city centers of most other large Czech cities. The main things I would suggest would be a conservation district, if one is not already in place, to protect this part of the city's historical character, and also some bicycle improvements. A unique feature of Plzeň's Vnitřní Město is its gridded streets, which most other Czech old towns don't have. This would mean that bike improvements that were put in place on side streets would still get people to their destinations quickly and efficiently.

Staré Město & Josefov

Staré Město (Old Town) is the oldest part of Praha on the right bank of the Vltava River. Historically the Czech part of Prague, Staré Město was originally formed out of settlements surrounding a marketplace in the 9th century. Staré Město's boundaries are where the city walls and moat used to exist, which are the roads Revoluční, Na Příkopě, and Národní, as well as the Vltava River. Much like in Malá Strana, working class locals are all but absent from the apartments here, as gentrification is in full swing in these parts of Praha. So, I would suggest that new construction, or apartment renovations, that are done in Staré Město or Josefov be required to include some subsidized units. The area is very walkable and transit friendly, but biking in this part of the city is all but impossible, so I would also add some asphalt bike lanes on some streets. Much like in Hradčany there is no street grid at all, and most streets are short and very narrow. A lot of Prague's tourist attractions are in Staré Město, such as the Church of Our Lady before Týn, Old Town Square, the Charles Bridge, the Old Town Hall, and the Prague Astronomical Clock (Pražský Orloj). Businesses are not very varied, with most catering to tourists, and consisting of gift shops, travel agency windows, and restaurants, which means that residents who want, say, milk and eggs, must leave the neighborhood to get such simple commodities. The neighborhood is served by many transit options, including Metro Line A, many tram routes, and a few infrequent and frequent (Metrobus) bus routes. Josefov, the former Jewish area of the city, is an enclave in the northwestern part of Old Town. Today, the area is basically an extension of Old Town, with very few Jewish people still residing in the neighborhood. Most businesses in Josefov are luxury clothing stores, which means that Josefov, along with Anděl and Vinohrady, is one of the main shopping districts in Praha. Some historical landmarks are in the neighborhood as well, such as the Old New Synagogue. Housing stock in both areas used to be quite run down, but most buildings have now been covered in bright, new stucco and have been renovated.

Hradčany

Hradčany is a neighborhood in Praha 1, near Malá Strana. The name basically means "castle district", due to the face that it was built in the area immediately surrounding Prague Castle. Although many areas can quite touristy, apartments here are still affordable, and many are owned or rented by middle class, longtime residents, unlike in nearby Malá Strana or Staré Město. The boundaries of the area that seem to be right to me are Milady Horákové to the north, Chotkova to the east, the many gardens southeast of the castle, Ke Hradu, Úvoz, and Dlabačov to the south, and Na Malovance and Patočkova to the west. Housing consists almost entirely of older apartment buildings, some of which are mixed-use. Most of these buildings are about 5 stories tall, though some are shorter, particularly on Nový Svět. There is virtually no streetgrid, and most streets are extremely narrow, winding lanes, which makes driving nearly impossible. Consequentially, the area is very walkable, and has a high proportion of transit users. Most of the neighborhood is situated on a hill, and many parks and tourist attractions are in this district, such as Pražský Hrad, Katedrála Svatého Víta, the Loreta, and Královský Letohrádek. Businesses are a mix of gift shops and tourist-oriented restaurants and things like convenience stores, grocery stores, and bars. I would suggest instituting rent control for some, but not all, properties in the neighborhood, as well as creating more pedestrian connections across Jelení Příkop in a north-south manner. Transit in the area is quite good, with Hradčanská station on Line A of the Praha Metro being the main transit hub. In addition to Line A, the arterial tram segment of the 1 and 25 also serves the station, as do frequent tram routes 5, 8, 18, 20, and 26. Metrobus routes 131 and 184, as well as night buses and trams, also serve Hradčanská. The Praha-Dejvice railway station, located on the boundary of Hradčany and Dejvice, serves Esko trains, and regional buses stop at Hradčanská as well. Arterial tram route 22, Metrobus routes 143 and 180, and standard bus route 168 all serve other parts of the neighborhood. I would also suggest adding more bike lanes in the area. 

Malá Strana

Malá Strana, or Lesser Quarter/Side in English, is the historically German piece of Prague situated on the left bank of the Vltava River, or Moldau River in English. Founded in 1257, the neighborhood grew rapidly after the building of the Charles Bridge connecting Malá Strana and Staré Město, which allowed for quick and easy travel to the city center. Housing dates mostly from the 17th and 18th centuries, and is in the baroque style. Almost all buildings are medium density and mixed use walk-up apartment buildings. The neighborhood is mostly built on a hill which slopes down toward the commercial district at Malostranské Náměstí and Karlův Most. In the center of Malostranské Náměstí lies an impressive baroque church, Kostel Svatého Mikuláše. One thing which is a real problem in the neighborhood is the displacement of many locals due to rising rent prices as tourists move into the neighborhood. This needs to be fixed by instituting rent control for residents that still reside in the neighborhood, and have so since before 1990. One nice thing is the many various designs and colors on all the buildings, and the pleasant parks in the area, which range from forests to formal gardens. Businesses, however, are not very diverse, with few options to buy basic essentials and fresh produce, but lots of gift shops and restaurants. Many of the Czech government buildings, such as the senate building, are in Malá Strana as well. The neighborhood is not very bike friendly, but is quite transit friendly, with the 5, 6, 9, 12, 18, 20, and 22 trams all running through Malá Strana, the 192 bus running entirely in Malá Strana, and line A of the Praha Metro stopping at Malostranská. Biking in the area remains a challenge, however. To fix this, I would create designated "bike corridors"along less busy, narrow roads unsuitable for cars anyway.