Celia GHYKA

Bucharest, Elements for a Streetscape Design Guide

Bucharest, elements for a streetscape design guide 1. The character of the city1: an overview Different from any west or central European city, Bucharest has a particular structure, inheriting at the same time the character of the oriental city (upon the matrix provided by the Constantinopolitan model, certainly mixed with very local influences) and those of the capitalist city of the XIXth century (mainly following the model given by Haussmanns interventions in Paris). This very particular superposition of urban textures has provided Bucharest with an urban form where the irregular heritage has been regularized at the end of the 19th century by the modernization of the streets and the opening of modern boulevards. One of the main characteristics of the citys evolution is the absence of fortifications (due to ottoman interdictions beginning with the 17th century). From this moment on, the monasteries and some important noble residences - the only establishments which preserve the privilege to build fortifications- will provide the strategic system of defense. These ensembles would form, up to the second half of the 19th century, huge urban equipments (multifunctional in the sense that they gathered together religious, residential, commercial and often political functions). The existence, and, further on, the replacement of such equipments into the rather dense urban structure of the central part, would allow the construction of the institutions of the modern State (such as the National Bank, the Post Museum etc.) The absence of the fortifications gives premodern Bucharest city an opened character, without a clear limit between the urban territory itself and the agricultural land (culture of cereals, vineyards, orchards). Consequently, the urban territory is defined by the alternation of residential zones, enough rarefied (denser in the center), and of great agricultural surfaces of land.
Borroczyn Plan, 1852, construction density, Source: Dana Harhoiu, Bucuresti, un oras intre orient si occident, Ed. Simetria, 1997

The present description of the city evolution is based upon Nicolae Lascu, Legislatie si dezvoltare urbana, Bucuresti,1831-1952, PhD thesis, UAUIM,1997, Ana Maria Zahariade & Celia Ghyka, Cahier pour un voyage dtudes, UAUIM, 2004, and Dana Harhoiu, Bucuresti, un oras intre orient si occident, Ed. Simetria, 1997

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Bucharest, Elements for a Streetscape Design Guide

In the XIXth century, the city still developed in an extensive way, and Bucharest seems to be, around 1830, the largest city of the European South West. The necessity of a regulation that would set a frame for urban development matures the whole 19th century, especially after 1830. The second half of the 19th century is the epoch of modernization of the urban structure, as well as of the Romanian society in general. The first step would be that of establishing urban regulations, mostly of occidental influence (undoubtfully Parisian), but adapted to the concrete reality of the city. These regulations (the first and most important one dating from 1831) reflect the gradual introduction of urban control and the evolution of urban thought. They concern, mostly urban hygiene and comfort (street cleaning, street paving and public gas lightning, the establishment of cemeteries outside the city), the construction of public equipment and public buildings (railway stations, institutions), but most of all, the modernization of the street system. The most important urban gestures express a new and raising interest of the municipality for the public space: the construction of public gardens (Cismigiu, Kiseleff, Icoanei), the opening of the E-W axis and N-S, the new boulevards, the modernization of the Dambovita quayside. These interventions have played a crucial role in the modernization of traffic network, but also in that of defining a new urban form, for associated with the urban regulations that precede or determine them, they create a new type of building. Introducing a new ratio between the height and the opening of the facade (the regulations of 1891-97, for instance, demand a height of minimum 10-17 m for a faade that is 12-17 m large), at first for the new created streets, this new type of street and urban form (determined by volumes equal to the street section) would spread later to the whole central area. However, the city would keep up to the late 1980 interventions, its character of a garden city, where the vegetation has a main contribution. The urban regulations at the beginning of the 20th century become more and more complex compared to

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Bucharest, Elements for a Streetscape Design Guide

the former documents, nevertheless deriving form the former ones. This confers urban policies an obvious continuity. In the third decade of the XXth century, urban studies and projects develop rapidly, mostly upon three main objectives: - the new Master Plan (1935) -defining the major public spaces of the city (urban design contests for Piata Palatului, Unirii, Academiei, Victoriei) - the development of new functional zones for the city, outside the central area (cheap housing districts, the lakes of the northern part, the universitary campus) The urban evolution goes together with the penetration of the modern architecture (first the XIXth century French influence, then modern architecture of the 20, especially along the newly created axes of the city), contributing to the important change of building types: individual residences crystallized in types like cheap villas of dwellings, low-rise buildings within the central areas lose importance, and the new, spreading type would be that of the apartment building( equivalent of the French immeuble de rapport), vehicle of urban modernization. This is the character the city preserves until after the 2nd World War, when political changes, as well as the aesthetic options of the architects would determine the construction of new housing districts, related, but not yet replacing the former city. Thus, if urban policies before 1950 concentrated upon the construction of individual low-cost dwellings with small gardens, adapting the garden-city model to local conditions2, after the war the garden-city was abandoned for the imported Stalinist cvartals, three or four storey apartment buildings built around an inner courtyard. From 1960 onwards, the political turns (the death of Stalin) will be also reflected in architecture and city planning, mainly through the concept of complex urban ensembles, high-rise apartment estates. This will lead to the construction of the new residential districts of the city (such as Balta Alba, Drumul Taberei, Militari, Rahova, Ferentari). These districts are a version (sometimes of remarkable architectural quality) of the functionalist architecture. Their construction did not imply

Ana Maria Zahariade, On silence and words, in Ideals in Concrete-Exploring Central and Eastern Europe, NAi Publishers, Rotterdam, 2004

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Bucharest, Elements for a Streetscape Design Guide

significant demolitions, for most of collective housing areas were built outside the city boundaries.3 After 1977 (the moment of the earthquake), the massive destruction of city begins. It is the only moment when the city suffers a real trauma, entire districts of traditional tissue are erased (Calea Mosilor, Uranus, Dudesti) in order to build the civical center or the new boulevards, extremely densified as to form a screen to the street front. Simultaneously, the interest for the historical core is diminishing, leading to a constant decay of the buildings and of the street furnishing. This inherited situation, associated to an uncertain state of the ownership and a rather hesitating urban rehabilitation policy is only contributing to the ruin of the historical core.

The demolitions of the 80, in red the erased areas Source: Dana Harhoiu, Bucuresti, un oras intre orient si occident, Ed. Simetria, 1997 The urban tissue, before and after the massive demolitions Source: Bucuresti 2000, catalogue of the International Urban Planning Competition, Simetria, 1997

The evolution of the city as reflected in the historical plans

The perimeter of the city in the 19th century.1831______ 1895, source: Nicolae Lascu, Bucuresti, legisaltie si dezvoltare urbana, PhD thesis, UAUIM
3

The limits in 1929

1935, the first Master Plan for Bucharest

cf to Ana Maria Zahariade, Two Books, the Communist Dream & Dacia 1300, in Dacia 1300, my Generation, Ed. Simetria, Bucharest, 2003

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Bucharest, Elements for a Streetscape Design Guide

2. Present conditions of the streetscape in Bucharest Morpho-typological characteristics Based on the description that we already have made above of the main character and its physical components of the city, some criteria for a typology of the urban spaces can be identified. Nevertheless, these criteria should combine elements of urban morphology with elements deriving from the cultural and historical value, as well as the functionality of these spaces (a criterion that we shall name the usevalue, ad is an indicator of how intensely these spaces are used number of pedestrians, public functions and utilities etc.). A few major types appear as defining the major streetscape of Bucharest, and we shall briefly present them as follows. The main criteria taken into account for the definition of urban space types are of different orders (morphological, functional, social, cultural and historical). Morphology: the type of front (continuous or discontinuous) generating a specific type of streetscape the variety of architectural and urban elements, that is the relationship between constant and changing elements relationship that could be (1) balanced, generating a pleasant, easily valued space or a (2) monotonous space, where there is little variation the existence and contribution of the vegetation (determining a front, accompanying buildings or massed vegetation) predominance of the building types (low rise, individual or collective dwellings, high-rise apartment dwellings)

the coherence of the space structure (spaces having a strong imageability4 versus lost, disregarded spaces that result from recent urban interventions, as opposed to clearly structured, significant spaces)

the street profile (ratio between height of the buildings and street ), criterion defining urban scale

We use here the term imageability as defined by Kevin Lynch, quality conferring a physical object the power to stimulate strong visual images, the term also refers to the visibility or lisibility , that is the clearness of perception. Cf. Kevin Lynch, The Image of the City, MIT, 1960

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Bucharest, Elements for a Streetscape Design Guide

Functional potential (referring to a present functionality, but also taking into account historical vocation that may have disappeared) residential commercial public services recreation production green areas (undetermined masses or accompanying street fronts, thus not included in the recreation category) Cultural and historical value A special attention should be paid to the protected areas, where functional vocation should be considered secondary (according to the present regulations: Regulamentul pentru zone istorice protejate, 2000, PUZ Centrul Istoric, 2004). Through the superposition of the above mentioned criteria, we can define a few main categories of major urban spaces in Bucharest. Description on the types 5(the names are strictly metaphorical, in order to give a better identification of the types): 1. Interbellum Bucharest Major streets, derived mostly from the urban modernization of the XIXth and XXth centuries described in the 1st section - such as haussmannian (the E-W axis) or modernist boulevards, actually most frequently a combination of the two; Urban building type: apartment buildings Major characteristics: Urban spaces of significant scale (equal height/width ratio, 6-8 storey apartment buildings, large streets 4 to 6 circulation strips)
5

The description of types is based upon a study realized in 2004 for the Municipality of Bucharest, Studiu si proiect pilot pentru mobilier urban integrat in teritoriul de studiu aferent retelei majore de circulatie a aglomeratiei urbane Bucuresti, authors: Hanna Derer, Celia Ghyka, Vera Marin, Andreea Mihalache, Adriana Udrea, Timur Mihailescu, a study that provided a Charter for Urban Street Design in Bucharest, stressing regulations for an urban design for the major streetscape of the city

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Bucharest, Elements for a Streetscape Design Guide

architecture of high quality continuous front urban spaces of high cultural value (protected areas, most of them)

2. Promenade Bucharest areas where the structure of the city is given essentially by the rules and regulations of the XIXth century, or areas inheriting the 19th century form of the city, such as Eminescu Street, Dacia boulevard, Lascar Catargiu, Aviatorilor Urban building type: row-rise individual dwellings Major characteristics: small but stretched scale (height/width ratio)- 2-3 storey buildings, 4 to 6 circulation stripes discontinuous front the vegetation element plays an important role in the definition of the street character architecture of high complexity urban spaces of high cultural value (protected areas)

3. Citadel Bucharest The new axis of the 70 and 80 where the functionalist model has been used to form a screen street (Bd Unirii, Calea Mosilor, Stefan cel Mare, Colentina, Pantelimon, Bd. Lacul Tei , etc.) Urban building type: collective apartment building Major characteristics: continuous front major scale (8-10 storey apartment buildings, 6-8 circulation stripes) monotonous architecture vegetation may appear as to contribute to the street front definition, yet without playing a major role 4. Functionalist Bucharest The housing districts of the 60 and 70- typical modernist architecture after the WW II (Balta Alba, Drumul Taberei, Bd. Cantemir, Obor) -7-

Celia GHYKA

Bucharest, Elements for a Streetscape Design Guide

Urban building type: multifamily housing Major characteristics: discontinuous front, actually absence of front functionalist architecture, independent volumes large scale (6 to 8 storey apartment buildings, large streets) important contribution of the green element in defining urban space rather monotonous architecture

5. Uncertain Bucharest Low-rise individual housing (ex. Drumul Sarii, Razoare) Urban building type: individual houses alternating with public buildings or industrial areas Major characteristics: lack of homogeneity
Prospect of the city in 1977 showing the maximum heights of the buildings at that time Source: Vintila Mihailescu, Bucuresti, evolutia geografica a unui oras, Paideia, 2003

very many different elements that often create confusion in the lisbility of the urban space urban scale may differ alternance of building types and front types generally discontinuous front areas developed mainly after 1990

vegetation may appear but without a structuring role (mass vegetation or spontaneous)

6. Lost Bucharest De-structured areas (ex. Calea Vacaresti, Calea 13 Septembrie) Urban building type: mixed Major characteristics: lack of any spatial organization areas that result after demolitions and have not yet been subject of a coherent project

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Bucharest, Elements for a Streetscape Design Guide

3. Major issues affecting the streetscape There are two main categories of factors that can influence urban design. The first ones are exterior to the urban streetscape itself, and are related to the socio-economical development in general, the ownership status of the buildings (often uncertain for buildings having a cultural value6 or predominantly private for the blocks of flats 70% of the apartments in multifamily housing). The rehabilitation legislation (insufficiently stressing upon the urgent need of rehabilitating collective dwellings), as well as the urban policies (as reflected in the urban regulations) are other important matters that influence urban design and its evolution. The intrinsic factors refer to the urban form (as the morpho-typological determinations), as well as to public and social uses of the urban space, the historical /cultural values of these spaces and the present state of urban design (physical condition of urban furniture, existence and necessities of furniture elements as well as their appropriation to the urban form, quality of design itself). The major dysfunctions, as they appear to be, are linked to Urban Policies - the lack of coordination between the Municipalitys services that are responsible for the different sections where urban design is involved (cleaning, lighting, infrastructure) - the lack of coherence of the Municipalitys actions, as well as the definition of urban project as an integrated and complex process, involving an urban, social, economical, anthropological approach (coordination between different projects, a strategy that involves them gradually and has the capacity to evolve as linked to the evolution of the projects themselves) - the necessity of a Publicity regulation for outdoor advertising as a balanced measure, that would regard public interest as priming upon economical interests
6

We are speaking here about those houses that have been nationalized (50% of the residences in the central districts and 30% of the whole amount of dwellings in Bucarest) and whose retrocession is still an unsolved matter. For further and detailed information on the subject, see Liviu CHELCEA, State, Kinship and Urban Transformations during and after Housing Nationalization Bucharest, 1945-2004, PhD Thesis, University of Michigan, 2004

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Bucharest, Elements for a Streetscape Design Guide

Urban design and preset condition of the streetscape - the logical and appropriate use of the location (number, function, material, relation to the street or building) - the conflict between the functional vocation of the space and the type of furniture that is used (as not to block the fluidity of the space) - the conflict between pedestrian and cars (with all the problems concerning the interdiction and allowance of parking social, functional and aesthetic impact) - the conflict between outdoor publicity and urban space (number, location, materials, impact)

4. Specific recommendations One of the main issues to be stressed upon is the relationship between of variety and homogeneity. To what extend does urban design have to be homogeneous within rich areas and how much does it have to bring variety to those areas defined by monotony? An answer to this type of questions could be given only by establishing a coherent, intelligent urban strategy that would take into account at the same time social, urban, cultural, economical factors. Such a strategy could include some basic principles: protecting the cultural and historical value this applies especially for the first two categories, but also for the protected areas defined by urban regulations. Urban design should be as neutral as to enhance the perception of an already significant urban space. Nevertheless, historicist approaches should be excluded and avoided, in favor of a contemporary design. A special attention should be paid to colors, materials, and angles of perception. improving life quality through urban design a principle to be used for the 3rd and 4th categories above defined, in areas where the lack of diversity and urban landmarks could be improved through an innovative urban design. These elements could stimulate public use of the urban space, and therefore a participative strategy of design should be strongly encouraged.

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Bucharest, Elements for a Streetscape Design Guide

Colors, forms and materials could then be a source of such perceptive and social stimulation. Providing a coherent design system that would unify areas included in the 5th and 6th category. Elements of street furniture conceived as a system could bring some unity to those urban spaces that either have not yet been clearly defined through urban strategies and regulations, or where the implementation of such strategies requires long term and high investment projects. The Charter for Urban Design7, completed in 2004 and still waiting for its implementation provides specific and detailed regulations for each type of urban space, defined according to similar criteria as those mentioned above. The Charter takes into account some 300 streets in Bucharest and includes them into specific categories, in step with the relationship between urban furniture and urban space.

Studiu si proiect pilot pentru mobilier urban integrat in teritoriul de studiu aferent retelei majore de circulatie a aglomeratiei urbane Bucuresti, 2004, authors: Hanna Derer, Vera Marin, Celia Ghyka, Andreea Mihalache, Adriana Udrea, Timur Mihailescu

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