Brasov’s new citizen driven projects are here. And they are awesome.

They are a part of the city’s participatory budget, meaning that citizens proposed them and later voted on them

The winning projects in Brasov’s participatory budget competition were announced yesterday and the city has decided to adopt some of them as a long-term policy. Most of the propositions, though, focus on reaching into residential communities, offering better infrastructure and quality of stay.  

One of the projects proposes closed bicycle parking lots in residential neighbourhoods, another - a gradual expansion of community gardens and another proposes outdoor musical instruments. 

At the start of November last year, authorities in the city opened the submissions process for projects vying for a cut of the participatory budget. After the projects were submitted, the general public had the opportunity to vote on their favourite out of four categories.

The municipality had put up a budget of about 500,000 euros for all projects, with a quarter of that going for each category. For reference, this was not a competition for non-reimbursable funds. Rather, it was a program where citizens had the opportunity to both propose and vote on projects, which the municipality will later implement.  

Bicycle parking and security in residential neighbourhoods

The winning project in the Mobile City category is called ‘Safe Bicycle Parking’ and it has a simple proposition – installing covered, closed and locked bike racks near every residential flat building. This would allow people to store their bikes in a safe location, rather than have them taking up space in their apartments.

This enclosed bike rack is much more space-effective than a parking lot for vehicles and setting them up in residential neighbourhoods is the way to go. Moreover, save from expanding bike lanes, it is a great way to coax the public into adopting cycling more regularly.

According to a statement by Brasov authorities, they are planning a slow expansion of the bike racks, but for now, with the participatory budget, they will only be able to set up four of these.

Bringing the community together with gardens

The project that got the most votes in the Green City category was quite similar to the community bike racks in the sense that it focuses on expanding city efforts to reach into residential areas and better the quality of stay.

It is simply called ‘Community Urban Gardens’ and it calls for re-arranging spaces so that residents in apartment buildings have a place where they can practice gardening. According to municipal sources, this is another project they plan to adopt on a more long-term basis.

However, during the first year, they can create one garden in every city district, while citizens will then maintain, monitor and, most importantly, grow whatever they like there.

The Community Garden project offers people of all ages the chance
to learn about growing and eating healthy foods,
Source: City of Brasov

Musical playgrounds

Although this project was somewhat ironically placed in the ‘Relaxing City’ category, the musical playgrounds that were proposed offer something quite unique. The official title of the citizen submission is ‘Arrangement of music gardens in public spaces’ and what makes it stand out is the level of seriousness put into the implementation.

The design of the musical instruments combines the functional with the durable. According to city authorities, they will be perfectly suited for both children, parents, young adults, amateur musicians and pros alike. It is also a great way to bring variety and creativity to Brasov’s parks.

The musical gardens have actual melodic instruments,
where kids can learn basic tunes through play,
Source: City of Brasov