How a well-managed city center looks in Europe — and what Bucharest could learn from it
When Bucharest's mayor describes the city center as a place where, at a single glance in any direction, "something scratches your retina," he puts his finger, perhaps without realizing it, on a wound older and deeper than rusty lamp posts or cars parked on sidewalks. The problem with central Bucharest is not one of aesthetics — it's one of urban governance, of an administrative system's capacity to impose and maintain standards in public space over the long term. Looking at other European capitals, the picture becomes clearer by contrast.Barcelona: when the street belongs to the peopleThe most cited urban experiment of the last decade in Europe remains Barcelona's Superblocks program. The concept is simple in logic, bold in impact: a grid of 3x3 blocks is closed to through traffic, cars are redirected to peripheral arteries, and the interior space is transformed into pedestrian zones with greenery, benches and playgrounds. The first superblock implemented in the Sant Antoni neighborhoo... Read more
