“Bucharest is facing an architectural and urban crisis”. Appeal of the architects to the future mayor of the Capital

The Bucharest Territorial Branch of the Order of Romanian Architects (OAR), in which more than 40% of architects in the country are registered, is launching a call for candidates for the position of general mayor of the Capital. The completion of the General Urban Plan (PUG) of the Capital and the removal of blockages in the issuance of authorization and approval documents are two of the architects' requirements.

“The Romanian capital is facing a systemic architectural and urban crisis, which extends from the problems of the city, to very long delays in the administrative procedures for authorization and approval, which slow down the development of the Capital in the short, medium and long term.

The lack of clarity of the current legislative framework, the inconsistencies at the level of norms and regulations produce an undesirable effect in the entire professional and development environment of Bucharest”, the call of the Bucharest architects states.

They ask the future mayor to, within 100 days of assuming office, present a calendar for solving the main problems reported by OAR Bucharest.

The first of these is the completion of the General Urban Plan of Bucharest, the document that establishes the rules according to which urban development takes place.

“We cannot have a city that evolves properly if the PUG is not completed and updated. The true efficiency of Bucharest will only be possible if it is completed,” say the architects.

They also demand compliance with the legal procedures and deadlines for the issuance of town planning certificates, building permits and other approvals under the competence of the town hall and the introduction of a digital authorization system to eliminate bureaucracy.

The signatories of the appeal say that the major investments made by PMB targeting representative buildings, parks, squares, reconfiguration of public spaces need to be made only after transparently organized solution contests.

At the same time, the architects request the creation of a transparent multiannual program dedicated to the protection and restoration of built heritage, “to transform historic buildings from a vulnerability into an engine of economic and cultural development.”

“Dialogue with professionals provides the basis for PMB decisions that are correct for the Capital. That is why OAR Bucharest requests the presence of professional architects in all PMB commissions, whose object is the urban-architectural development of the Capital”, the appeal also states.