On paper, Bucharest looks better than it did a decade ago: we have a new metro line to the airport (almost), scooters on every street corner, and cafés in former industrial halls. But beyond statistics and urban PR, the city has changed in fragments – like a puzzle where the old pieces no longer have the patience to fit with the new ones.

More expensive buildings, not necessarily better

The real estate market is perhaps the most visible change. In 2014, the average price per square meter in semi-central neighborhoods was around €900–1,100. Today, it has exceeded €2,000 in some areas, and in the city’s “luxury” north, prices defy all logic. Meanwhile, construction quality hasn’t evolved proportionally. The windows may be new, but the sidewalk in front of the building is still broken.

More buildings, less sky

Vertical expansion has continued – but without a clear plan. Twelve-story apartment blocks have appeared between single-story homes and gardens, and natural light has become a luxury in many neighborhoods. Urban planning regulations have been flexible, if not completely ignored. Investors have taken advantage of a city that still hasn’t decided whether it wants to be European or just profitable.

Transport: promises, improvisation, frustration

The transport system is undergoing a slow, sometimes absurd transformation. The metro line to Drumul Taberei was finally opened after years of delays – a bittersweet victory, considering it took almost as long as building an international airport terminal. At the same time, old trams still run on rusted rails, and electric buses coexist with unregulated minibuses on secondary routes.

Electric scooters and bikes brought a hint of modernity, but their infrastructure remains fragmented. Dedicated bus lanes? Few and often blocked by parked cars.

Public space – between experiment and marketing

The big parks have remained largely unchanged, except for Drumul Taberei Park, which was brilliantly redesigned. But small urban spaces have gone through a mini-revolution: community gardens, sidewalk terraces, temporary art installations. Everything feels experimental, often lacking continuity, but with enormous potential if backed by a coherent strategy.

The generation reshaping the city without running it

Perhaps the most important transformation isn’t visible at first glance: it’s in how younger residents relate to the city. It’s a generation that asks for bike lanes, not parking spots. That prefers a café with a decent outlet for their laptop over a fixed office desk. That votes in local elections and wants to know where the participatory budget goes.

It’s a mindset shift that hasn’t yet taken root at the administrative level, but one that’s beginning to influence the city’s rhythm.

Bucharest: a work in progress. Permanently.

In the last ten years, the city has changed – but not uniformly, not linearly, not entirely. It’s a place where the future coexists with unpaved remnants of the past, where in the evening you can order a vegan bowl from an app, but in the morning you still dodge an uncovered manhole. A city that keeps moving forward, but is still fixing itself as it goes.