Bucharest Municipality Research Articles

The Impact of Non-Reimbursable European Funds in Romania on Gross Domestic Product

Abstract The paper represents an analysis of the access to non-reimbursable European funds in Romania, at the level of January 2024. The analysis is carried out at the territorial level, in all 41 counties in Romania, to which the Municipality of Bucharest is added. In order to determine the efficiency of the use of these funds, a correlation was made between the level of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as the main macroeconomic aggregate that measures the level of development and the value of the non-reimbursable European funds accessed by Romania in January 2024. The correlation shows a direct and strong link between the two variables, at each county level.

Spatial Analysis of Peri-Urban Areas of Bucharest in the Context of Big Data

Abstract The territorial expansion of the Bucharest-Ilfov region is a continuous process. This expansionist process is not always followed by an increase in the quality of life of the citizens, because in order to produce this effect, it is important that the territorial expansion is carried out in all branches (road infrastructure, residential buildings, access to medical services, access to education, access to shared public transport). As the specialized literature observes a chaotic development of this region, the research aims to analyze the peri-urban areas of the Municipality of Bucharest and the 6 sectors of the Municipality of Bucharest from the perspective of citizens' access from residential buildings to 3 basic services of society (transport, education and medicine), but also the identification of the spatial association relationship between the 6 sectors and peri-urban areas. In order to achieve these objectives, geospatial data of the big-data type were extracted, more precisely by extracting them with the help of artificial intelligence from satellites, and then processing these data. Also, the selected sample includes the 6 sectors of the Municipality of Bucharest, as well as the peri-urban areas. The main results indicate real development discrepancies both at the level of the 6 sectors of the Municipality of Bucharest, and at the level of the peri-urban areas, on all 3 dimensions analyzed. In addition, with the exception of two semi-significant local spatial autocorrelations, it cannot be stated that there is a spatial association relationship between the units in the sample, the development gaps being the result of the decision-making process at the local public administration level. Through the research results, development directions of the peri-urban areas and the 6 sectors can be identified to increase the quality of life of their citizens.

Procjena kapaciteta za institucionalnu otpornost u lokalnoj javnoj upravi

Over time, the Romanian society has experienced different shocks, disruptions and stressors ranging from the fall of communism, transition to a market economy, European Union accession, development of new institutions, the necessity for rapid solutions to the economic crisis, and the most recent one, the COVID-19 pandemic and its outcomes. The pandemic showed the need to develop and strengthen the resilience capacity of the public organisations that play important roles in managing all sorts of crises, including at the local level. Institutional resilience of the local public administration depends on a series of factors such as the design of the institutions, the human resources training process, and the organisational culture that dominates the institutional framework. In this respect, taking into consideration different factors that might influence resilience in public organisations, the present pilot study investigated the concept of institutional resilience in the Romanian local public administration starting from a conceptual framework for assessing the resilience capacity previously designed by the authors. The objective of the research was to assess the capacity of institutional resilience in the local public administration, namely in two of the six District Halls of the Bucharest Municipality during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the results, the research instrument will be improved and the study will be extended to other organisations from the public administration. The capacity of institutional resilience in the local public administration was measured using four dimensions, created based on the resilience framework developed by the authors: capacity for innovation and learning, strategic capacity, stakeholders’ involvement in decision-making, and transparency and communication. The research was conducted in a comparative manner, aiming to establish if there were any differences between the capacity of institutional resilience in the two District Halls. The research revealed that both District Halls proved a medium to high level of resilience. District Hall 3 exhibited a higher capacity of resilience compared with District Hall 2, with the remark that both organisations should improve the factors that influence this capacity.

Mentorship for Teacher Induction. The Analysis of the Training Needs of the Beginning Teachers

Mentorship in education plays a crucial role in facilitating the smooth integration of beginning teachers into the Romanian education system. Specifically designed for beginning teachers, this form of mentorship focuses on addressing their training needs through specific goals and implementation strategies. This study aims to identify the training needs of primary school beginning teachers across eight counties in Romania, including the municipality of Bucharest. The goal is to propose improvement measures to maximize the effectiveness of the mentorship program in which beginning teachers participate. The research methodology employed an online survey-based questionnaire administered in June 2023. Throughout the study, the authors shed light on various training needs relating to the teaching competencies of beginning teachers, including self-analysis of teaching activities, teaching methods, and satisfaction levels regarding the mentorship program. The findings highlight the diverse training needs of primary school beginning teachers from Romania and emphasize the importance of a coherent implementation of the mentoring programmes to address these needs effectively. This paper serves as a guiding resource for the development of mentorship and training programmes, as well as education policies aimed at enhancing the integration of beginning teachers into the Romanian education system.

The influence of the introduction of public transportation lanes in the municipality of Bucharest

Abstract The city of Bucharest together with Ilfov county form an urban agglomeration with over 2.2 million inhabitants. Currently, due to exceeding the traffic capacity of the capital’s ring road, the only possibility to travel North - South or East - West is through the city centre. The public transport network in the city of Bucharest lacks lanes dedicated to public transport, the lack of an extensive network of adaptive traffic lights and traffic lights that give priority to public transport. Also, the high degree of vehicle loading of the street network leads to a low level of service both in the morning peak hour and in the afternoon rush hour, leading to low transport speeds of surface public transport. In this article, the possibilities of introducing dedicated public transport lanes in the city of Bucharest are identified, quantifying the reduction in travel times. In addition, some technical solutions regarding the necessary infrastructure for the introduction of lanes dedicated to public transport vehicles and possible traffic regulation measures are presented.

The Impact of the Dynamics of Services on the Economic Use Value of Historical Monuments. Case Study: the Municipality of Bucharest

Abstract Heritage buildings represent elements of territorial identity of the cities due to the multiple valences they incorporate (historical, architectural, artistic, and cultural). Due to the particular characteristics of the built heritage, multiple possibilities of reuse are associated with it. Thus, the evaluation of the economic use value of heritage buildings is justified. This work aims to evaluate the economic use value of historical monuments located in the protected urban area C.A. Rosetti-Maria Rosetti-Popa Petre, located in the central part of Bucharest. The main results of the paper reveal the fact that the multiple forms of reuse of heritage buildings in the analyzed protected urban area are under the impact of the accelerated dynamics of services (commercial spaces, office spaces, hotels). Some reuses affect the architectural value of historical monuments through interventions that involve modifying the exterior architecture or the character/valuable elements of the interior, as well as a higher regime of height than the neighborhood average, which also generates discontinuities in the historical urban fabric.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (QUALITY-ENVIRONMENT) IN THE CITY HALL OF BUCHAREST

The present research aims to highlight the importance of implementing the Integrated Management System (IMS) in the General City Hall of Bucharest and, thus, producing positive effects such as: efficient allocation of resources by improving forecasting and planning, increasing the quality of services provided to citizens, improving communication between departments of the institution, reducing the number of complaints made by citizens about the quality of public services, changing the organisational structure by resizing the departments of the institution, increasing the transparency of the decision-making process. The research is based on the combined use of several methods: analysis of official documents (reports, analysis of performance indicators that are established at the level of each department within the City Hall of Municipality of Bucharest (PMB) according to the services they provide to customers/citizens and are reported periodically, being a key tool for the management of the organisation) and opinion survey based on the questionnaire addressed to civil servants within the City Hall. The results prove that the maintenance and improvement of the Integrated Management System in the PMB requires a permanent involvement of the management of the directorates for the implementation of the processes carried out in the institution.

Investigations Regarding The Contamination with Emerging Pharmaceutical Pollutants in Representative Rivers and Lakes in Romania

The presence of emerging pharmaceutical pollutants in the aquatic environment is generally related to anthropogenic activities such as domestic, industrial and hospital wastewater discharges and landfills. Special attention should be paid to the contamination of surface waters, as they are partly used for drinking water supply, since they directly collect partly untreated wastewater from wastewater treatment plant. Within this paper, the identification, quantification and distribution of pharmaceutical micropollutants, from different complex environmental matrices, respectively: surface water, sediment and biota in the river basins of Arges-Vedea, Buzau-Ialomita and Dobrogea-Litoral and of the Danube River, were achieved. Also, preliminary investigations were carried out regarding the contamination of lakes with active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) the metropolitan area of the municipality of Bucharest. Among the pharmaceutical micropollutants identified in the Arges-Vedea river basin, the most frequently detected was paracetamol with a frequency of 69% and antibiotics with a frequency of 65.52%, in the Dobrogea-Litoral basin paracetamol was detected with a frequency of 74.2% and antibiotics with a frequency of 54.84%, while antibiotics were identified in all surface water samples and paracetamol with a frequency of 80% in the Buzau-Ialomita river basin. Considering the contamination of sediments with pharmaceutical residues, these were identified in all studied areas and in biota samples (fish) up to 18.21 ng/g were detected. The preliminary identification of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) from Lakes Plumbuita, Carol, Morii, Alexandru Ioan Cuza (IOR), Herastrau and Tei indicated the frequent presence of several items, such as paracetamol, tinidazole, carbamazepine, moxifloxacin, clarithromycin, and caffeine.

The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on the Valorization of Cultural Heritage. Case Study: Bucharest Municipality (Romania)

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected the conservation and capitalization of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage and limited the population’s participation in culture. The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of the pandemic on the degree of capitalization of the elements of tangible and intangible cultural heritage within the capital city of Romania. The results of this study reflect the efforts of the representatives of cultural institutions to respond to the challenge of keeping in touch with different categories of audience. At the same time, solutions adapted to restrictions on social distancing have been identified, in order to facilitate the capitalization of the elements of cultural heritage by organizing temporary exhibitions and cultural events in the open air or online. It is also noticeable the organization of cultural events through the collaboration of public institutions in order to facilitate the access of the public to culture and increase the degree of capitalization of the cultural heritage.

ECONOMETRIC APPROACHES IN ANALYZING RESEARCH AND INNOVATION SMES ACTIVITY IN BUCHAREST

Comparative analysis, in the light of statistical evolution indicators that characterize the innovative activity of SMEs in Bucharest, aims to outline the companies situation, over a period of almost 20 years. Analysis in dynamics, with the latest available indicators data, concerns not only the situation at the Bucharest municipality level at a certain time, but also the comparison with similar SMEs indicators with research and development-innovation (RDI) activity in Romania. Econometric approaches pursue the goal of developing appropriate models for this period and of producing short-term predictions, and the criteria for choosing the prediction accuracy, they allow us to draw pertinent conclusions. To quantify the existing situation regarding SMEs, a rather small number of indicators have been taken into account, due to the lack of their dissemination

Out-migration and social and technological marginalization in Romania. Regional disparities

Migration is one of the drivers of population change in Europe. Out-migration has become a relatively new phenomenon for Romania, especially after the fall of communism and the accession to the European Union. According to EUROSTAT, Romania ranks fifth in the out-migration hierarchy at EU level. The present study aims to provide an insight on the influence of social and technological development level on the out-migration flows by computing and correlating the Social and Technological Disadvantage Index to Out-migration Rate. The study is conducted based on the statistical data available provided by the National Institute of Statistics and by the Romania's representative body of clusters. The study is carried out at the level of 42 Romanian counties (NUTS3 level) for the 2018 timeline. The main findings of the study are related to the fact that the high magnitude of out-migration pertain, on the one hand, to a low level of the social and technological degree (a group of counties from Southern Romania) and, on the other hand, to a high level (such as the case of several counties from Western or Central Romania, Bucharest Municipality and thereabouts). A distinct situation is that of the Eastern counties, which are no longer an area for high emigration, compared to the 2002–2007 period.

Economic Valuation of Cultural Heritage Using the Travel Cost Method: The Historical Centre of the Municipality of Bucharest as a Case Study

Because heritage buildings represent a special category of goods due to characteristics such as uniqueness and irreversibility, they are associated with multiple possibilities of use. This article aims to present a complex analysis of the values associated with using heritage buildings in the historical center of Bucharest and their correlation with corresponding conservation measures using the travel cost method. The authors used two computation methods: the zonal travel cost and the individual travel cost methods. The application of Bravais–Pearson’s coefficient of linear correlation confirmed that the demand for a cultural heritage site is inversely related to the travel costs and distance. The results reflect that the demand also depends on other factors, such as the satisfaction level of the tourist experience and tourists’ income and motivations. The study highlights the usefulness of the travel cost method, which facilitates analyzing the relationship between the significant value of using historical monuments and the extremely important conservation process in the current context, marked by socioeconomic dynamics that determine many reuses of cultural heritage.

Assessment of environmental pollution with rare-earth metals through bioaccumulation studies using vegetal bioindicators

Environmental pollution by anthropogenic activities has become a global concern as the release of organic and inorganic pollutants into the atmosphere is responsible for important health problems among the population. The rare-earth metals processing sector has raised particular problems due to the bioaccumulation potential of these metals in the food chain. Urban trees are able to retain pollutants from the environment and can be used as bioindicators also for the rare-earth metal pollution. This paper aimed to assess the bioaccumulation of some rare-earth metals, besides other metals and non-metals, in the foliar part of six urban tree species (Populus nigra L., Populus tremula L., Populus x canadensis Moench, Betula pendula Roth, Aesculus hippocastanum L. and Fraxinus excelsior L.) sampled from different areas of the municipality of Bucharest. Laboratory experiments have shown that all tree species used in the study are able to retain rare-earth metals, but the bioaccumulation capacity is species-specific.

SOIL MANAGEMENT IN THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT: TODAY AND FUTURE

The present article presents the expertise realized by the Department of Environmental Monitoring Pollution Evaluation within the INCD ECOIND, in the evaluation of the quality of urban soils in the municipality of Bucharest and the main big cities in Romania. The current data available at the level of the 27 member states of the European Union show that annually over 100,000 hectares of land are introduced into the urban environment, a direct consequence of the development of cities. There are a number of legislative obstacles to strategic soil protection measures. Moreover, at the level of the local authorities there is a conflict regarding the measures of soil protection in the long term, on the one hand, and, the accelerated economic development in the short term, on the other. European environmental experts consider that the urban development, absolutely necessary for the economic growth, requires an adequate management of the natural resources in order for the development to be done on a sustainable basis, respectively to follow a series of strategic objectives. In our country, at least in the last decade, we find on a large scale the conversion of industrial areas into commercial or residential areas. The footprint of industrial activities can be found even after long periods of time present by identifying the remnant of soil pollution or in those areas known as historically polluted (for example the town of Copsa Mica). The conclusions stemming from the assessment of pollution in urban areas over large areas, in correlation with the potential sources of pollution, underline the need to monitor the quality of soils in the urban environment, but also to apply a performance management in order to protect this natural resource in the long term.

Land Use/Land Cover changes dynamics and their effects on Surface Urban Heat Island in Bucharest, Romania

The aim of the paper is to examine and analyze the long-term spatial dynamics of LULC (Land Use/Land Cover) and the impact of their changes on the SUHI (Surface Urban Heat Island). The study covered the area of Bucharest Municipality, the capital of Romania and its neighboring areas, and involved a series of Landsat images, taken in the summer, and ranging from 1984 to 2016. To achieve the goal the following were accomplished: (i) a supervised image classification, done with good accuracy and (ii) a post classification change detection approach was used to assess the LULC changes; (iii) the thermal signature for each land use category was determined using LST (Land Surface Temperature); also, iv) NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) has been used to determine a relationship between the thermal behavior and the characteristics of each land use category. The results have revealed that by 2016 there has been an increase in the built-up areas and the fallow land areas and a decrease in the croplands and forested areas. Also, there were observed the increase in surface temperature and a decrease for the difference between the average temperature of the urban area and the surrounding areas of the city indicating the extension of the area where the phenomenon of the Urban Heat Island of Bucharest occurs.

The Impact of Transparency on the Citizen Participation in Decision- Making at the Municipal Level in Romania

The article analyses the implementation of the transparency law and investigates whether its adoption generated more citizens’ participation in the decision making process at municipal level in Romania. The research consisted of an analysis of the transparency reports that municipal authorities need to compile every year. We analysed the reports compiled by 28 cities and 5 sectors of the Bucharest municipality for the years 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Additional information about the challenges of the implementation of the law was collected from previous studies conducted by nongovernmental organizations on this topic. The research showed that public institutions increased the transparency of the decision making process by disclosing draft normative proposals and the documents the proposals were based on. The level of citizens’ participation in the consultation and deliberation stages of the decision making process remained low over the period analysed, even though a small increase could be observed. The number of recommendations received on draft normative acts was low. The research showed that citizens’ suggestions had higher chances to be included in final decisions if they were voiced during Local Council meetings. Besides providing empirical insights in the implementation of the transparency law in Romania, the article provides the researchers with evidence that increased decisional transparency does not automatically lead to greater citizens’ involvement in the decision making process.

Environmental Impact Matrix for Bucharest, Romania

The objective of this study was to provide an environmental impact assessment for the municipality of Bucharest. To touch this objective, air samples were taken from five monitoring stations and water from two rivers during 2007-2015. On the basis of all the information collected, the environmental impact assessment was carried out with the help of the Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix. Considering the surroundings of all monitoring stations, the air quality at which the inhabitants of Bucharest are exposed can be considered good. The Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix (RIAM) is a tool for analyzing, organizing and presenting the results of a holistic environmental impact assessment and ensuring a transparent and permanent record of the analysis process, organizing the environmental impact assessment procedure, which leads to a considerable reduction in the type of environmental impact assessment. The simple, structured form of the matrix allows for rapid and accurate in-depth reconstruction and analysis of selected components. This flexibility makes the method a powerful tool both for making and evaluating environmental impacts.The matrix has the ability to perform series of operations to compare variants; is able to compare assessments made in different sectors. The evaluation steps contained in the matrix allow for both quantitative and qualitative data to be evaluated.

Urban Transport of Passengers in Large Urban Agglomerations and Sustainable Development. Experience of Bucharest Municipality in Romania

Urban transport of passengers is considered in Romania a priority of local communities. Thus, this service, together with four other services (water supply and sewerage, public lighting, sanitation and district heating), is subject to a special law, Law 51/2006, also called the Law on Community Utilities. In 2016 the public utility law was republished, amended and completed by Law 225. Why it was necessary to change and complete the law of public utilities and what role the urban public transport service has in the sustainable development of localities, are questions that we are trying to answer through our research. The proliferation of green transport modalities as well as technological progress have forced paradigm shifts in terms of mobility in large urban agglomerations. A comparative analysis of the public transport modalities in the large urban agglomerations comparable to Bucharest could not be made without considering the socio-economic and environmental factors. Sustainable development of urban transport will help to increase the quality of life for urban residents and regain the well-deserved position of urban transport as a public service of general interest. Keywords: sustainable transport, sustainable development, Bucharest experience

Quality of Organic Vegetables Grown in Two Certified Sites on the Outskirts of Bucharest Municipality

Abstract Soil fertility properties, irrigation water quality, mineral nutrition, and some vegetables mineral composition were studied in the frame of a project regarding yield quality monitoring in certified organic vegetable farms, in two farms placed on the outskirts of Bucharest Municipality which provide products for the town’s organic market. Chemical analysis of the soil samples collected from the two farms reflects a good fertility, close to the natural one of this region soils, with well-balanced organic matter, total nitrogen, accessible phosphorus and potassium contents. The nitrates contents concord with the plants nutrition demands and don’t present the risk to accumulate in vegetables or to leach into the groundwater. Slightly increased microelements, both total and soluble forms, occur. Soil microbiological properties are favorable for vegetable plants growth. A good biodiversity is noticed. There are differences between soil properties in open field and greenhouses, induced both by the type and degree of mechanical works and materials applied for fertilization and plant protection. Good conditions are generally created for plants mineral nutrition. Mineral nutrition status of the vegetables grown in organic conditions, assessed by the leaves mineral composition, doesn’t differ from the one of the vegetables grown in conventional conditions. The vegetables (fresh material) harvested from the two studied farms have good, even high, concentrations of mineral elements important for the yield nutritional quality. The excessive microelements quantities noticed in soil don’t transfer in the yield, so the latter quality and nutritional properties are not altered.

Analysis of vegetation from satellite images correlated to the bird species presence and the state of health of the ecosystems of Bucharest during the period from 1991 to 2006

The urban vegetation needs adequate monitoring and conservation, being a critical resource of urban landscape. To its deeply esthetic values, the practical values and, respectively, ecosystem services delivered by the urban biodiversity are added (amelioration of the environment and urban microclimate, flood control, diminishing of the environmental pollution, increasing of biodiversity and habitats etc.). Accurate remote sensing techniques have been used widely in locating and mapping urban vegetation (Light Detection And Ranging-LiDAR, satellite images). The purpose of this study is to point out the vegetation status in correlation with the number of the bird species (as indicator of the ecosystem's health), using remote sensing techniques (Landsat satellite images), between 1991-2006 in Bucharest, Romania's capital. Rapid urban evolution of Bucharest led to important changes within the structure of the city, underlined by the increasing of the built area to the detriment of the green one. The intensity of the urbanization rate also led to the decreasing of the number of the bird species. The results obtained through analysis of satellite images indicate the necessity to acquire the up-to-date information related to the vegetation status in order to establish in the future, through urban landscape projects, protection measures for the vegetation cover and for the bird habitats in Bucharest Municipality.