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This Central European capital of 1.2 million residents has a vibrant downtown of retail shops, residents living above them and droves of visitors crowding into its narrow cobblestone alleys.

At first, it seems unfair to compare this tourist-packed, 14th century city with Pittsburgh. People come here from around the world to marvel at and enjoy the statue-laden Charles Bridge, the Gothic-spired buildings and the intimate riverfront cafes.

Two of Pittsburgh's leading urban planners -- no less than Mayor Tom Murphy and Councilman William Peduto -- say they find inspiration here.

"Prague is similar to Pittsburgh in its feel," Murphy said during a recent interview in the City-County Building. "It's walking scale. The idea of it being compact. Older buildings on a walking scale."

Those same things have drawn people to Prague for centuries and made it a model of urban planning throughout Europe, said Svetlana Kubikova, Prague's development director.

Now they are influencing downtown Pittsburgh as well.

"What we have been doing the last 30 years hasn't been working," Peduto said. "If we want to create new development initiatives, we shouldn't be doing what Baltimore did 20 years ago. It might be time to look at cities such as this."

Pavel Bem, Prague's mayor, said he finds the comparisons flattering and points to his city's history as the reason for its success. More than 60 percent of the buildings in the city center are more than a century old, and the downtown is included on a U.N. register of historic places.

Adding new buildings, he said, becomes a complex task.

"Prague has developed, as have a number of European cities, over hundreds of years, and has succeeded in preserving its historic center in a unique form," Bem wrote in response to questions. "Prague is one of the most visited capitals in Europe for the very fact of its historical uniqueness."

Even with a much shorter history, Pittsburgh needs to build on -- rather than destroy -- the unique heritage it has, said planners working to revive the city's Fifth and Forbes retail corridor.

Even Murphy pointed to the need there for pedestrian-friendly areas and plans that enhance the area's character. That marks a stark departure from his initial idea of razing blocks of buildings for mall-type construction.

Maintaining the historic character of buildings and blending new construction with the old could make Pittsburgh's Downtown a unique draw for shoppers who are bored with typical malls, said Dutch MacDonald, a principal in Pittsburgh-based Edge Studio, an architectural firm working on the corridor.

"Retailers are trying to find what gives them an edge over endless miles of banal space," he said. "Fifth and Forbes has a great opportunity with some of the buildings there to do something really creative and cool."

That type of environment can be fostered by letting retailers design unique facades that enhance building architecture, said Midge McCauley, director of Philadelphia-based Downtown Works, hired by Murphy to lead the Fifth and Forbes revival. The emphasis, she added, should be on having a distinct mix of retailers and designs.

"It has worked in Europe for centuries," McCauley said. "It's an eclectic mixture of mostly mom-and-pop stores, not national chains. There's variety in the storefronts and the facades. It's unique, and that's what we're trying to create in Downtown Pittsburgh."

Kubikova, Prague's development director, said the Charles Bridge is the centerpiece of the pedestrian-friendly city. Vehicle traffic is not allowed on the nearly 700-year-old black stone bridge, so it has become a key part of a sprawling pedestrian corridor lined with street performers, artists and cafes. Trams and cars are forced to the downtown's edges.

"We believe it is a good step to create pedestrian zones," Kubikova said from her office on a hill about a 15-minute walk from the bridge. "They allow the development of smaller stores and smaller restaurants to give the city a human dimension."

Gothic spires tower over both ends of the bridge, rising on one side next to a Baroque church and a government building from the Renaissance.

Within view of the bridge, a modern building designed by American architect Frank Gehry sits among blocks of historic row houses. The tentacles of a lighted metal sculpture resting on the new building's roof are so complex they could not be drawn on paper.

"Prague's main charm is that it unites all these architectural styles and influences in one city," Kubikova said. "Somehow, the city was always able to take the best from all these cultures."

Riverside cafes sit along the Vltava River on either side of the Charles Bridge, which is dotted with iconic statues of religious and historical figures. Dinner boats and cruise ships pass under the bridge on tours of the riverfront. Paddle boats float in the relative calm.

Few signs of last summer's devastating floods remain. Reaching historic highs, the swollen Vltava threatened the Charles Bridge and submerged buildings along its banks.

Despite occasional flooding, Prague isn't built away from the water.

"The river is considered to be the center icon in the city," Kubikova said. "The river is the life of the city."

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