Bacau Municipality is a medium sized city, the county seat of Bacau County, located in the North-East of Romania. It is part of the North-East Development Region and has a population of about 144 307 inhabitants, according to 2011 Census.

Most cities face a common set of basic problems: poor air quality, high traffic and congestion, poor built environment, abandoned land, greenhouse gas emissions, waste and wastewater generation, lack of green spaces providing balance in ecosystems and biodiversity, digital transition, etc. 

Following the questionnaire applied in 2021, as part of the elaboration of Bacau's Integrated Urban Development Strategy for the period 2021-2027, many of the respondents assessed the quality of public spaces as poor and two major problems were mentioned: the poor quality of streets and sidewalks and the lack of recreational green spaces (parks, playgrounds, etc.). Nowadays, it is obvious that the importance of green spaces has long surpassed the need for romantic living in the middle of the nature and the role they play in maintaining the mental and physical balance of the cities’ inhabitants is scientifically proven. As the transformation of the main parks in Bacau will constitute the object of other dedicated projects, Bacau Municipality has decided to join an Action Planning Network in order to set out an Action Plan for transforming a green area located in the south-east part of the city in a forest-like park. 

Cities need more green spaces in order to become resilient to climate change and to improve the citizens’ life quality. Thus, Bacau Municipality is willing to establish an integrated approach to tackle this challenge by adopting long-term strategies and action plans. We are confident that solutions exist and that they are within our reach and we would like to be part of a network facing similar challenge, where we can find guidance, know-how and support in addressing it.

Casandra Solomon