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Green Infrastructure, Bucharest, Romania, 23 June 2026

On 23 of June 2026 the National Union of County Councils of Romania (UNCJR) hosted in Bucharest the workshop “Green Infrastructure and Social Inclusion: Building Fair and Sustainable Cities”, organised within the framework of the European project Active Cities–Fair Cities. The event brought together representatives of public authorities, urban development experts, academics and partner organisations for a dialogue on the solutions needed to build greener, more resilient and fairer cities.



Held at UNCJR headquarters, the workshop highlighted the idea that the green transition cannot be separated from the social dimension of urban development. From public policies and investments for resilient communities to eco-neighbourhoods, stormwater management, digitalisation and civic engagement, the speakers’ contributions pointed to a shared conclusion: the cities of the future must be sustainable, but also accessible, inclusive and responsive to people’s real needs.

In the opening of the event, Sorin Munteanu, Director General of UNCJR, underlined the role of the Fair Cities project as a platform for cooperation among public administrations, experts and communities, in support of a fair green transition rooted in local realities.

Public policies, eco-neighbourhoods and investments for resilient communities

In the first thematic intervention, Liviu Băileșteanu, Director of the Public Policies and Strategies Directorate within the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration, presented the strategic framework for green, sustainable and resilient cities, drawing on Romania’s Urban Policy and on the need for concrete instruments to regenerate urban ecosystems, expand green spaces and strengthen resilience to the effects of climate change.

“Green and resilient cities do not simply mean more urban vegetation, but a new development logic: integrated policies, data-driven decisions and tools that turn sustainability objectives into concrete action for communities.”

Lorna Dugast, representative of the Département de l’Aude, presented a French good practice example in the field of eco-neighbourhoods: the participatory project “Pech des Possibles” in Luc-sur-Aude. Her presentation illustrated how housing, green infrastructure and community life can be planned together with residents and designed to respond directly to local needs, while contributing to more inclusive and sustainable urban development.

Building on this perspective, Laïla Haddag, international technical expert in sustainable urban development within the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration, presented the Eco-Neighbourhood Methodology in Romania, a tool currently under development to support the transformation of existing neighbourhoods and to help translate similar principles into the Romanian context. Her intervention highlighted how this methodology aims to address climate adaptation, improve housing conditions, strengthen social inclusion and increase local capacity for integrated urban regeneration.

“The Eco-Neighbourhood Methodology provides local authorities with a practical framework for rethinking existing neighbourhoods in a greener, more inclusive and more resilient way. Urban transition becomes credible when it is translated into concrete interventions in the spaces where people live their daily lives.”

Continuing the session, Andrei Chivu, Director General of the Sustainable Development and Just Transition Programme within the Ministry of Investments and European Projects, presented the opportunities offered by the Sustainable Development and Just Transition Programme 2021–2027, highlighting the links between green infrastructure funding, environmental protection, energy efficiency and the social dimension of the climate transition.

“A successful green transition is, at its core, a just transition. Public investments must reduce vulnerabilities, strengthen community resilience and ensure that no one is left behind in the transformation process.”

Green Bucharest, smart cities and climate adaptation

Another key moment of the workshop was the presentation delivered by PhD. Bogdan Alexandru Suditu, dedicated to the Green City Action Plan for Bucharest. His intervention highlighted the capital’s main environmental challenges and the priority areas for action: sustainable urban mobility, pollution reduction, expansion of green spaces, stormwater management solutions, energy efficiency and urban infrastructure better adapted to climate shocks.

“Bucharest needs coherent green planning that connects mobility, green spaces, water, energy and urban health into a single vision. A sustainable city is built through clear priorities, integrated interventions and continuity in implementation.”

The “smart” dimension of fair cities was brought into the discussion by Eduard Dumitrașcu, President of the Romanian Smart City Association, who stressed that digitalisation and technology must be integrated into urban projects that deliver concrete benefits to citizens. In this context, the role of artificial intelligence was presented as a major opportunity for public administrations, provided that it is used responsibly to improve analysis, investment prioritisation and public service delivery.

In the intervention dedicated to stormwater management, Ing. PhD Dan Rădulescu presented the challenges generated by extreme climate phenomena and ageing urban infrastructure, underlining the need for nature-based solutions to address flood, drought and pollution risks.

“In the context of climate change, cities can no longer treat stormwater as a secondary issue. Green infrastructure and nature-based solutions must be integrated into urban planning as essential measures for adaptation and resilience.”

The second part of the event focused on the Fair Cities Manifesto, a document that synthesises the principles of fair, green and participatory urban development. One of the key conclusions emerging from the discussions was that citizen education and engagement are essential conditions for the success of urban transition. Without an informed population that is consulted and involved in defining local priorities, green policies risk remaining purely formal or generating new inequalities.

As part of the workshop, UNCJR also presented the Văcărești Natural Park as a Romanian good practice example of urban nature conservation and inclusive urban regeneration. Often referred to as Bucharest’s urban delta, Văcărești illustrates how a former degraded area can be transformed into a valuable natural space with environmental, educational and social benefits. The example highlighted the role that urban protected areas can play in increasing biodiversity, improving climate resilience, creating opportunities for environmental education and reconnecting residents with nature in the heart of the city.

The workshop in Bucharest thus confirmed that the future of cities will not be shaped only through strategies and funding, but also through the capacity of administrations to create real spaces for participation, learning and co-creation. Through the Fair Cities project, the partners involved aim to support an urban transformation in which green development is at the same time social, fair, smart and people-centred.



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