Abstract
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Urban planning began together with the urban revolution, and this last occurred as a consequence of the industrial revolution. It was the result and the vector of the social changes which accelerated at the end of the nineteenth century. But nowadays, our society is subject to new and significant changes, leading to a new urban revolution. Thus, modern urban planning, coming from the previous urban revolution, is no more appropriate In some countries major changes in urban planning already occurred. Thus, the analysis, design, execution and town management methods began to be modified. However, the fundamental problem is represented by the ability to act in this new context that is to provide a margin for choices and actions.
The process of planning and urban modernization cannot be done unconsciously or at random, but consciously and organized. Along with the multiplication of the problems related to the urban life, the conscious processes of city modeling are evolving. As a consequence, the role of specialists in this field increases. Urban modernization implies at the same extent restructuring, reconstruction, renovation, arrangement, etc.
As regards Romania, at present urban planning is guided more by political and economical interests, and less by the interests of the members of the respective communities, and the applicable urban norms. The process of urban planning shows numerous deficiencies which I identified in my paper by the SWOT analysis. The existing legislation regarding urban planning is still oriented onto the physical/layout aspects and not onto the economic and social aspects of the cities. Although much is told about strategic planning, this has not found a legal formulation, neither an administrative procedure of implementation to reflect the competition between the cities. Also, the city is more a matter of object design than of economic development or politic commitment, and the prize competitions of architecture or ”declarative” urbanism studies have not an economic or social basis.
Based on the identified deficiencies in the urban planning process in Romania, I presented several proposals of improvement of this process. The most important refers to the fact that urban planning in Romania should become social planning, and the traditional planning concepts, related to the physical environment should be abandoned. This measure is necessary because the individuals are not the same, and there are different life styles, purposes and problems depending on age and social status.
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