This paper explores the implementation of grand spatial planning narratives such as the compact city and polycentricity in planning practice. The effects of overlapping scales on the application of spatial imaginaries in metropolitan space are examined. Using post-socialist space, the research enriches the geographical context of metropolitan studies. On the basis of a spatial analysis of metropolitan form and centrality and a textual analysis of the relevant spatial plans of three Czech metropolitan areas, the key features in efforts of planning polycentric and compact metropolitan areas are identified as "Administrative blindness", "(De)centralization ambiguity", and "Reactive passivity". By identifying the limits of translating spatial visions into the practical language of statutory regional and land-use plans, the paper contributes to the debate on the effectiveness of metropolitan planning based on the specific context of Central Europe.