Producing urban industrial derelict places: The case of the Solventul petrochemical plant in Timişoara

Abstract

This paper unveils the logic behind urban industrial derelict places connected to the petrochemical industry in the cities of Romania and specifically draws from the post-socialist experience of the Solventul petrochemical plant in Timişoara. In the context of transition from state socialism to capitalism and globalization, huge areas of debris stand as proof of a once flourishing socialist industry forced into controversial cases of privatization and re-privatization. The most important petrochemical plants in Romania have been the object of post-socialist economic restructuring. The reasons are due to the loss of the communist market, the cessation of government subsidies, and the growth of international competition, all in the face of aging production facilities. In the process, more than 30,000 workers were forced into intra-urban or urban-rural migration pushed by an emerging privatized housing market. The authorities acted with secrecy with regard to the process of privatization as well as to the ecological hazards posed by these industrial ruins. Created through a process of industrial decline paired with a general legal framework permeated by neoliberal influences, these urban industrial derelict places have caused hot spots of controversy for urban policies and practices for more than 20 years since the fall of communism in Romania.

Reflections on Fatalism in the Streets of the Romanian Post-Socialist City. A Case Study of Eroilor De La Tisa Street, Timişoara

“…Researchers dealt with different aspects of change such as urban restructuring (Jucu, 2015) and urban shrinkage caused by deindustrialization (Popescu, 2014;Prasca et al, 2013;Rink et al, 2014), analysis of subtle changes in street names (Crețan & Matthews, 2016), comparative studies on Eastern and Western European cities concerning urban form and urban planning Sorina VOICULESCU Reflections on Fatalism in the Streets of the Romanian Post-Socialist City. A Case Study of Eroilor de la Tisa Street, Timișoara policies and practices (Sandu, 2016), public transportation and sustainable urban mobility plans (Tomasciuc et al, 2016), urban sprawl (Grădinaru et al, 2015), urban dereliction (Voiculescu & Jucu, 2016), etc.…”

From State-Socialist Ambitions of Romanian Rural Indutrialisation to Post-Socialist Rural Deindutrialisation: Two Case Studies From Romania

“…The first countryside settlement was an important traditional hub of the glass industry, while the second development was related to vinegar production, specifically a factory connected to a large petrochemical plant in Timişoara (the capital of Timiş County). During post-socialist deindustrialisation, the latter went bust, experienced bankruptcy, and fell into ruin (see Voiculescu and Jucu 2014) as was the case with the aforementioned factories from Margina and Tomeşti. Consequently, spaces of dereliction appeared, with their ruins giving rise to a negative impact of economic Romanian transition to a market economy.…”

“…In light of this, the factories closed down (Ianoş 2005) because of bad privatisation and mismanagement under the new market economy umbrella (Kideckel 2008). Besides this, many important industrial plants turned to ruins and derelict areas, harming both urban and rural communities (see Edensor 2005;DeSilvey and Edensor 2013;Mah 2012;Voiculescu and Jucu 2014;Chelcea 2008;Jucu 2015), and threatening their cultural traditions with damages to local residents' way of life. These issues are thoroughly analysed in the following sections.…”

“…ro/a-fost-odata-o-fabrica-de-otet/ http://punctedefuga.ro/2011/09/fabrici-vechi-fabrica-dinmargina/ www.enciclopediaromaniei.ro/Margina_(Timis C5s9F).http://www.gazeta-de-vest. ro/tragedie-la-fosta-fabrica-de-otet-din-margina-un-barbat-si-riscat-viata-incer-candsa-fure-fier-vechi/.www.tion.ro/acoperis-prabusit-peste-doi-hoti-de-fier-vechi-la-marginao-persoana-a-murit-strivita/1496690.http://www.mediafax.ro/social/un-mort-si-un-ranitBrought to you by | MIT Libraries Authenticated Download Date | 5/11/18 1:25 PM industrial restructuring (see Voiculescu and Jucu 2014). In 1989, the year of the state-socialism collapse in Romania, the factory was in a real process of expansion and development, although its decline came sooner.…”

Neoliberalism(s) as a Guide to Post‐Wall Urban Change: Explanation Out of the Blue?

“… This is not to suggest that neoliberalism is no longer occasionally taken for granted. Examples drawn from our sample journals include Chelcea and Druţă (), Golubchikov (), Haase et al (), Schmiz (), Voiculescu and Jucu (), Bouzarovski et al () and others. However, the chosen timeframe also implies that we, as authors, reduce the risk of influencing the sample simply by taking an interest in the issue in focus.…”