Living in a forest, the masterplan

A new urban forest
In a green surrounding with a large forest, within 10 km distance of the city centre of Bucharest, a new part of the city will be created: A new neighborhood within an urban forest where people can live, work, learn and recreate. In short where it is safe for children and attractive for everyone. By enlarging the existing forest, conditions will be made for a social, green and sustainable environment. This new urban forest, made out of a large variety of trees and plants, will provide an attractive condition for the environment for people and animals. A small thing like the sounds of birds can contribute to the people daily live.

The urban forest will give together with the water a strong basic for a sustainable environment and will be recognized as a main structure in the masterplan; the air quality will rise, rain water will be re-used and ecology will increase. Additionally, energy management will take an important part in the new to built area.

Recognizable identity
Living in a forest provides a strong identity and a recognizable green quality for the overall area. With a programmatic variety it creates a unique layout for a high density environment in a green and sustainable context.

To achieve a strong structure, a backbone is introduced containing a framework of a Central Parkway for cars and a Diagonal for pedestrians and cyclists that organizes the main public programs. On both ends of the Diagonal two main public buildings are located. These are the Centre Neighborhood Building with a mix of programs like retail, a school and residential, and the Health Centre with sport and medical facilities. The other areas of the masterplan are orientated towards this 'backbone' to enforce the public character of it and organize this space as the main meeting place for people, young and old, and for (social) activities. Together with an open grass strip the diagonal, as the main pedestrian and cycle structure, connects the site directly with the existing Baneasa forest on the south and east side.

Inside the masterplan different smaller neighborhood pockets are introduced. Each neighborhood pocket represents a small community with an own identity. Besides the people that in the future will give color and stories to each neighborhood, each of these pockets are build up with a different balance of building typologies, range of programs and public space type. However this balance is different from pocket to pocket, it is essential to create recognizable diversity in each of the pockets. For example to offer for each pocket a variety of housing types, different kind ownership and building properties with different values. Also is it possible to have in each pocket space for smaller public and commercial programs like a grocery, a coffee corner or a kindergarten. In the pockets that are directly connected to the main structure there is also space for public programs like a church and a school. This variety of different aspects will have directly an effect to the variety of the population and creates a colorful diversity in society. To improve people to walk in there own neighborhood pedestrians will have priority. Car traffic is appearance as a guest and parking will be integrated mainly in buildings and in the landscape.

Toward the new ring road and the road on the east side mainly retail and offices are planned. It forms in way a shield to the city road and railway network. With a good visibility and at the same time it also as a sound shield for the rest of the area. With that a more quite area inside the masterplan area will be achieved.