Colaj de povești. De la Orient...la metropolă
Authors:   “Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urbanism, Bucharest, Romania, Lazăr Corina 
Published: November 2021

The article calls into question the problem of Bucharest as a city viewed from two perspectives. The first is related to the issue of dwelling and people; the second perspective relates to its evolution in time focused both on the urban structure and the political outlook. In fact, all human needs as well as all political ideals have contributed to the repeated change in the image of our city, resulting, in some extreme cases, in loss of authenticity (for example, the communist regime period). Later, I wanted to address these problems in the design workshop themes, in the form of some manifests, which refined around three keywords: “passages”, “people”, “house”. The article calls into question the problem of Bucharest as a city viewed from two perspectives. The first is related to the issue of dwelling and people; the second perspective relates to its evolution in time focused both on the urban structure and the political outlook. In fact, all human needs as well as all political ideals have contributed to the repeated change in the image of our city, resulting, in some extreme cases, in loss of authenticity (for example, the communist regime period). Later, I wanted to address these problems in the design workshop themes, in the form of some manifests, which refined around three keywords: “passages”, “people”, “house”. The article calls into question the problem of Bucharest as a city viewed from two perspectives. The first is related to the issue of dwelling and people; the second perspective relates to its evolution in time focused both on the urban structure and the political outlook. In fact, all human needs as well as all political ideals have contributed to the repeated change in the image of our city, resulting, in some extreme cases, in loss of authenticity (for example, the communist regime period). Later, I wanted to address these problems in the design workshop themes, in the form of some manifests, which refined around three keywords: “passages”, “people”, “house”. I think I have found this picturesque feature through repeated walks through the city that each and every time presented the capital not only in the perspective of a city that wants to gain the metropolis status, but also as a misunderstood city with the human needs the state ignores. Such walks that help you perceive the place by yourself, feel some significant moments amidst the urban life colours. Bucharest, viewed as the centre of Oriental Romanity, sees both the Orient and the Occident world. Political and economic relations maintained internationally with different peoples/countries, would find the Capital in an attempt to assimilate cultural elements that come to introduce us the city as a collage, an overlap of heterogeneous elements. Various accounts of foreigners visiting our country apprised of a city bustling with activity, an echo of the things that made a mark on the way in which the life of some Bucharest’s houses appear to us, which are real works of architecture (Nanu Muscel House, Melic House, Eden House, Monteoru House). Nowadays there is a shift towards a more pragmatic way of life, a different approach that most often ends by removing the tradition of the place, whereas the urban silhouette of the city grows in heterogeneous expressions.