Free tips for Bucharest City Hall 2

For quite a long time, although unintended, Bucharest had a open air horror museum right in the center.  Filled with all the excitement that comes from putting your life at risk crossing the city center by foot was almost certain to leave you with some pretty strong memories of the wrong kind. By 2008 nobody was surprised anymore if you returned from this part without belongings, a bit of harassment or even broken body parts, this from falling into holes other exciting ways of not seeing what is in front of you.

Today the open air musem seems to have turned into the biggest shopping mall in Romania.  You are lucky to be able to walk in this area called Lipscani which is now the largest magnet for people going out in Bucharest. There is an estimated 60.000 – 80.000 seats in bars, cafes and restaurants and it has become the place to be, leaving other “champions” of the city virtually empty.

So what revolutionary strategy got this chance through? Basically returning property from no ownership to private or public ownership, rebuilding infrastructure (this did not happen for about 50 years), putting some public lighting and evicting people who were there illegally. Simple no?

Reshaping Unirii Bulevard (Piata Unirii – Palatul Parlamentului)

In my opinion Lipscani was a simple case which did imply much investment or strategy from the city hall. There was such a great need for a place like that all people really need were the basics (pavements, running utilities, and public lighting).

With Unirii Blvd. it’s a bit more complicated but the rewards could be even greater the Lipcani.

The need for a major pedestrian shopping street

Back in the years before WWII Calea Victoriei was the ideal candidate for this function, today it is just not realistic to imagine this avenue as continuing the legacy.

Unirii Blv has much more potential

- The pedestrian areas are already there – we are talking about a Bulevard which is wider than the Champes de Elise so there is lavish space for both pedestrians and cars.

- There are already huge shopping spaces (most which are now empty) and the first two floors of buildings and lot’s of room to build innovative new spaces.

- There is a major attraction at the end of the Bulevard – The Parliament House (people in Romania will not love it very soon but it’s here to stay so we’d better learn to leverage it instead of hating it!)

What would I do if I were the city hall:

1. Create incentives for brands to settle here – zero taxes for shops, advertising ran by the city hall to attract people there,

2. Create events such as – Istanbul Shopping Festival. Shut down the street for cars at weekends // Move major events across Bucharest there (Via Sport, George Enescu Festival Open Air, Christmas parties, etc)

3. At first create a temporary structure in Piata Constitutiei to house major trade shows or shopping weekends then create an international architecture competition to generate a solution for a permanent exhibition and fair center in the square!