Author: Olga Diaconu
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In 2021, the General Directorate of Architecture, Urban Planning and Land Relations carried out the procurement procedure for the completion of the Central Urban Plan (PUZ Centru), no. ocds-b3wdp1-MD-1622828742738, carried out by the General Directorate of Architecture, Urban Planning and Land Relations. The contract in the amount of 2,994,000 lei was awarded to the Municipal Design Institute “Chișinăuproiect” Î.M. The general goals were to protect and enhance the value of the historical building fund and immovable cultural heritage assets (built and archaeological) in the historical area, including the territory of the Historic Core and to establish procedures for its protection and management.
The priorities for the Zone (Historical Core of Chisinau) were drawn, as follows: pedestrians, alternative and individual electric transport, public and shared transport, and private transport. Specifications established by the General Directorate of Architecture, Urbanism and Land Relations clearly state that the existing street network of the Historic Center of Chisinau is a protected element by Parliament Decision no. 1531/1993. In this context, the street network in the Historic Center of Chisinau must remain intact, and for transit transport, conditions must be created to ensure the bypass of the Historic Center. In the same sense, the historical alignment of the buildings is to be preserved, which is an essential element in the concept of protecting historical areas.The project had to pass through a complex process of public debate and approval, consisting of a few stages, by a list of authorities, among which the General Directorate of Architecture, Urbanism and Land Relations, with the coordination of the final solutions with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research (Ministry of Culture).
Since the process was lengthy, the term of execution of this contract was extended by 11 months. This was necessary due to the lack of a Regulation on the content and methodology of the elaboration of the historical-architectural substantiation study, but also due to insufficient data on the population, economic activity, transportation, structure of the built fund, and state of the environment, that needed to be accumulated through extended research.
We arise at the conclusion that, while the General Directorate of Architecture, Urban Planning and Land Relations and “Chisinau Project” carry out research and studies in order to assess the current situation and find ways to protect the cultural heritage of the Historic Center of the municipality of Chisinau, but also to identify of the measures to streamline road traffic, other municipal subdivisions alter the current situation by modifying the street grid in the historic center, so that research no longer has a purpose. By the time the Central Urban Plan is finally adopted, there might not be much to save, considering the interventions carried out without any kind of projects approved by the competent authorities.
The capital repair works of the sidewalks, as well as those of the parking lot in the Historic Center of the municipality of Chisinau, are carried out simultaneously, in the absence of any execution projects. The existing pavement is being removed, sidewalks are being re-planned and parking lots are being arranged in a historic area, pillars are being relocated. We have repeatedly requested, from the General Directorate of Urban Mobility, to make available to us the documents establishing the factual situation that were the basis for the start of the works, as well as the minutes with the works executed in the historic center. Despite the expiration of the deadlines provided by the legislation on access to information, these documents were not made available to us, which indicates a lack of transparency – the most common red flag in public procurement.
Acest material este realizat în cadrul proiectului ”Banii Publici sunt și Banii Mei!”, implementat de Asociația pentru Guvernare Eficientă și Responsabilă AGER cu susținerea financiară din partea National Endowment for Democracy (NED).