decided to appoint a team for the new urban plan of Bucharest of six specialists
from the Urban Plan Committee, with equal responsibilities and using all the
Municipality’s human and technical resources. He appointed the Working
Group with the threearchitects: D. Marcu^22 , G.M. Cantacuzino^23 , R. Bolomey^24 ,
I. Davidescu^25 and two engineers: C. Sfințescu and T. Rădulescu^26.
The new Bucharest Guiding Urban Plan was elaborated behind closed doors
till November 1934, and was analysed and debated in the Urban Planning
Committee from January to the end of April 1935.^27 The Plan was approved in
May 7, 1935.^28
Subtle observations on the planThe PDS|35 appeared out of the criticism to the existing situation assessed
as “an urban planning disaster” or “a catastrophic city”.^29 The plan had an
obviously strong social character, aiming to change the living and building
habits of Bucharest citizens and paid special attention to a general framework
for new urban regulations and codes.
Some of the modern characteristics of PDS|35 were: the focus on the current
needs of the inhabitants, the adjustment of the existing physical structure
to accommodate a comfortable life, the controlled territorial expansion, the
detachment of the zoning prescriptions from the building codes and a zoning
scheme related to the road system and the possible future developments.
The PDS|35 aimed to prepare the city into a flexible structure for future great
projects, especially in infrastructure and public spaces. As for its practicality,
the plan comprised a broad but very clear and accessible building code and a
handbook for social residential housing developments.
The vision, based on the existing assets, proposed a city as a closed system in
need of fine retouches that overflew the surroundings only through especially
appointed directions along the main roads, and with new residential areas along
those connecting roads, activities areas outside the city and a green continuum
on the unbuilt land. That was to be realised through a coordination of:
- a strong building code to preserve the unbuilt land for (possible)
future great projects: large strips along the main penetrating roads
or wider roads with separated modes of transportation for the
existing traffic, highways, metro (vicinal), metropolitan railway, and
other major infrastructure great projects, and for new airports,
waterways and ports; - a land acquisition program pursued by the Municipality as to enable
the continuous network of green spaces, guide territorial expansion
and densify the central areas of Bucharest and its neighbouring
towns; - a special program to protect the city centre and its built landmarks.
The first urban plans of Bucharest in the rise of the 20th century