The Dynamics of Adaptive Reuse of the Romanian Industrial Heritage in the Context of Urban Planning

Abstract

The Romanian industrial heritage experienced a variety of conversions in the post-socialist period in the context of deindustrialization as a result of advantages represented by the large size of the buildings and sites correlated with the flexibility of adaptive reuse, their location in the proximity of the central areas of the cities. At the same time, some industrial monuments were demolished, and office spaces or residential projects were built on their site. The aim of the paper is to analyze sites and buildings of industrial heritage, located in large cities (municipalities of Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca), which have registered conversions under the impact of urban development factors (accelerated dynamics of services, residential projects). The authors also selected examples of cultural reuse of industrial monuments analyzed from the perspective of integrated urban planning. The paper is significant because it is focused on the identification and discussion of best practice models related to the adaptive reuse of industrial heritage assets. The practical side of this paper is related to the presentation of the importance of sustainable reuse of industrial monuments that highlight their patrimonial values and contribute to meeting the needs of the local community.