Over 80 projects enter urban life improvement competition in Romania

A total of 83 projects have entered a competition that aims to find and support concrete solutions to improve life in urban areas in Romania. The projects plan to increase the quality of life in urban areas through various ways, such as eco-innovation, social inclusion, infrastructure works, temporary interventions, public participation, community spaces, and green and recreational spaces. Their implementation requires budgets that vary between EUR 15,000 and EUR 100,000. More than half of the projects target Bucharest, while the others are focused on other Romanian cities such as Cluj-Napoca (9 projects), Timisoara (7), Brasov (4), Oradea (4), Braila (3), Constanta (2), and Alba Iulia, Iasi, Pitesti, Ploiesti, Satu Mare, Sibiu, Targu Mures (1 project each). Moreover, two of the projects should be only implemented online. Local lender ING Bank and The Institute are organizing this competition which is called Urbaniada. ING Bank will offer total funds of EUR 250,000 for the implementation of the winning projects. A jury made of specialists in architecture, urban planning, sociology, and anthropology will evaluate the projects. In the first stage, the judging will be made online based on several criteria: originality, relevance, feasibility, methodology, budget, and sustainability. Then, the eight projects with the highest scores will enter the second stage of the competition, in which the candidates will present their projects individually in front of the jury and bank employees. The finalists will be announced on January 20, 2016, and the winners’ list will be made public on March 1. The winning projects will have to be implemented by November 1, 2016. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com