Bucharest’s General Council voted on Friday, 28 August, to adopt the city’s Integrated Urban Development Strategy (SIDU). The document matters because it is the basis on which the city can access non-reimbursable European funding for its development. Mayor General Ciprian Ciucu said at the council meeting that without the SIDU the city could not claim reimbursement for a large part of its European funds.

What the strategy sets out

The strategy offers a unified vision of public and private investment in the capital. It sets priority directions of work:

  • increasing road accessibility;
  • improving public transport;
  • promoting sustainable urban mobility;
  • improving the energy efficiency of buildings;
  • developing green infrastructure.

The document also sets out the projects proposed for the coming period across mobility, urban regeneration, digitalisation, education, health and social inclusion. It contains both a long list of projects, with general directions of intervention, and a short list of specific projects.

Guides for urban regeneration

A series of urban regeneration guides was prepared as part of the strategy. They include models, methodologies and intervention concepts, starting with the reconfiguration of public squares and the course of the Dâmbovița. They also cover the revitalisation of grey spaces, the introduction of urban green infrastructure and the revitalisation of cultural and historical heritage.

Why now and what comes next

Ciucu said the strategy had been an obligation of the City Hall (PMB) for 5 years and that his team worked to make it coherent. Once it is voted, he said, the city will prepare a much better developed SIDU. The City Hall’s press release also states that two thirds of European funds were lost by the PMB, which it attributes to public servants.

In a separate announcement, the City Hall said it will redesign the Bd. Bălcescu – Bd. Magheru – Piața Romană area through an international design competition. It describes this as one of the urban regeneration projects the mayor has taken on since the start of his term. In a first phase, the city will procure a historical study that will set the competition’s design brief. The competition will be organised together with the Order of Architects of Romania. Its principles include developing pedestrian-priority areas and encouraging walking and cycling.