On 18 November 2015, the Union of Architects of the Republic of Moldova hosted the closing conference of the project “Good governance in emerging democracies: building capacity for decentralisation and public involvement in urban planning”, under the MATRA KAP Programme, funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bucharest.
The overall aim of the project was to strengthen the capacity of specialists in public administration and other public and private organisations in decentralisation, urban planning and public involvement in the urban planning process.
Mayors, town architects and specialists in architecture and spatial planning were invited. The event was a good opportunity to exchange experience and hold a dialogue, including with Romanian specialists, on current professional issues.
The conference discussed the project’s activities and results, current issues in urban and spatial planning of Moldovan towns and villages, obstacles to producing General Urban Plans, and the difficulties town halls face in issuing urban planning certificates, building permits and related documents.
Three case studies attracted particular interest: the experience of Ungheni, Cahul and Telenești in preparing urban planning documentation and involving citizens in urban development planning.
The special guest, Ms Sorina Racoviceanu, architect at IHS Romania, spoke about what towns and villages can do to become more competitive and what local governments must do to position their town in the “competitive market for resources, capital and investment”.
Most participants – architects, cadastral engineers, mayors, urban planners and professors from the Technical University of Moldova – expressed the wish for such workshops to be held regularly, as they are needed to address the many problems that have accumulated in urban and spatial planning in Moldova.
For further information: Ana Burcă, project assistant, IDU, tel./fax +373 22 211 467, e-mail: office.urbana@gmail.com.