In March a professional debate took place on the subject of the role of the building industry in the issue of lasting sustainable development with a focus on concrete structures. The aim of the debate, which given its extensiveness was oriented only towards a part of this broad issue, was to draw attention to the basic aspects of sustainable construction and general approaches to working with concrete structures that are favourable to the environment. The composition of the debating team also corresponded to this aim. Participating on behalf of CKAIT, the Czech Concrete Society, and the Building Faculty of the Czech Technical University were: Prof. Ing. Vladimír Křístek, DrSc., Head of the department of concrete structures and bridges of the Building Faculty of the Czech Technical University Prague Ing. Václav Mach, Chair of CKAIT, Doc. Ing. Petr Hájek, CSc., the Building Faculty of the Czech Technical University Prague, department of ground structures and Prof. Ing. Břetislav Teplý, CSc.

Much attention has been devoted to the issue of ensuring lasting sustainable development in advanced countries in recent years. People are beginning to realize the necessity of minimizing the negative influence of human activities and their impact on the quality of life and the environment. The Czech Republic, with regard to its efforts towards integration in the EU, is beginning to deal with this issue more intensively. Applying the principles of lasting sustainable development is in the Czech Republic legally anchored in the law on the environment art. 17/1992 Coll. In § 6 there is the following definition: "Lasting sustainable development of society is development that preserves for the present and future generations the possibility of satisfying their basic needs and at the same time does not decrease the richness of nature but preserves the natural function of the ecosystem".

The concept of facilitating accessibility and use of buildings by the disabled involves a set of technical or technical-administrative measures ensuring independent use of and orientation within buildings by individuals with limited abilities of movement and orientation, i.e. without the aid of other individuals.

Practice shows that planners, investors and state administration employees are becoming aware of the regulations thus far issued in this area only with difficulty, which is further complicated by the fact that the issue is not included in the teaching curricula of secondary professional schools and universities, and no specific relevant body of state administration has been set up, despite the fact that working with this issue requires a range of specific knowledge.

In the concluding article, devoted to updating the urban study on the Prague Conservation Area, we look at the issue of the environment and two special subjects that are directly related to the environment, i.e. green areas and water flows. The team of the Department of Development of Prague, which in 2000 submitted a proposal of a complex plan for the Prague Conservation Area, was expanded to include external coordinators for the purpose of working on the section of the environment.

From the perspective of the environment the city of Prague and primarily its downtown area ranks among the most negatively affected areas of the Czech Republic. The poor quality of area is primarily caused by the high load of traffic, combined with unfavourable geomorphological and climatic conditions resulting from the density of construction. Determining factors in the influence on the environment in the territory of the Prague Conservation Area are the purity of the air and noise.