Towards a National Harmonized Framework for Urban Plans and Strategies in Romania

Abstract

The present paper aims to open the discussion on the adoption of a simplified, flexible, and harmonized strategic framework for city development in Romania. Besides a development strategy associated with general urban planning, multiple strategies are elaborated in accordance with the requirements of the financing authorities and the specific spatial planning legislation. These strategies were developed at different times by different institutions and aim to substantiate the directions and priorities of development and attract funding for various programs. In this study, we performed a thorough analysis in eight municipalities and concluded that such strategies cannot be effective, as they are not always coordinated and often lack consistency and complementarity with other strategic and operational plans and programs at the local level. Based on an international literature review including the recommendations of the Harmonization for Sustainable Energy, Climate Action Plans, and Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans developed by the EU financed project “Sustainable Integrated Multi-sector Planning” (SIMPLA), we propose a unification of the various strategies in a single harmonized, flexible strategic structure for the city. This harmonized structure includes specific components related to resilience in case of disasters and financing sources for all proposed projects.