Bucharest (Romania)

Abstract

Urban climates are conditioned not only by the buildings and spatial relationships visible above ground, but also by the invisible power relations and static conditions below it. Soil composition, parcellation, ownership, land clearance and ground reserves have played an inestimable role in the shaping, landscaping, and climatic performance of urban spaces. This historical contribution focuses on the old centre of Bucharest, an Eastern European city largely overlooked by early industrialization. As a result, the urban fabric remained disproportionately rural in character. Pre-modern societal structures and corresponding low-density residential typologies have created an environment with a more bearable micro-climate than the modernist outskirts. At the interface of Western and Eastern cultures, the Bucharest case study illustrates the interdependencies between ground conditions, socio-cultural features, and housing types in the construction of urban climate. In comparison to contemporary typical configurations in London and Amsterdam, the paper highlights the formation of a city micro-climate in the conspicuous absence of urban industry.