Bucharest announces the winning projects, as proposed and voted by the citizens

Better green spaces, better cycling options and better outdoor sports equipment - Bucharest wants it all on top of more citizen engagement in local policy

On Thursday, city officials in Bucharest announced the winners of the citizen vote for the participatory budget of the city. The participatory budget is an initiative where Romanian cities flirt with the idea of direct democracy, by allowing citizens to propose and vote on projects in the city.

The city put up a budget of around 400,000 euros, to be split evenly among four projects, chosen by citizens. The projects were divided into categories, based on sectors where the municipality wants to improve the quality of life:

• Mobility, accessibility and traffic safety;
• Landscaping and playgrounds;
• Arrangement of public spaces;
• Digitisation;
• Safety, rehabilitation or restoration;
• Environmental/animal protection;
• Sport.

And the winners are…

The winning four projects were selected among a total of 29 and will use the full available budget. They will be redirected to the municipal structures handling those areas to be implemented during 2022.

The highest voted project is called ‘An oasis of relaxation for the patients of the Clinical Hospital Prof. Dr. Theodor Burghele’. The hospital is one of the biggest in Bucharest and it calls for a full redevelopment of the green area adjacent to the hospital, so patients have a pleasant space for recreation.

The second project is ‘Crows from Cismigiu Garden/Neighbors with wings’. Cismigium Garden is one of Romania’s most iconic parks and a centrepiece of downtown Bucharest. This project aims to solve the recent crow overpopulation problem in a sustainable and animal-friendly way.

The third project is about bicycle infrastructure and it hopes to improve existing sustainable mobility features, while offering substantial improvements. It calls for clearer markings, more bicycle parking and bicycle repair stations so people can fix their rides on the go.

The last project envisions a Freerun and Parkour park for children and teenagers in Herastrau Park in the north of the city. Herastrau Park is another famous Bucharest landmark, a park built around the lakes formed by the Colentina river.