Chapter 3. Bucharest’s Administrative Vision Regarding Environmental Challenges For a long time, the local public authorities in Bucharest have managed green areas strictly as leisure areas, and the issue of the climate crisis has been all but absent from the public agenda. Environmental organisations are the ones that brought the topic of developing public areas in accordance with the goals of climate crisis management into public discourse and then on the administrative agenda. For this section of the study, we conducted interviews with representatives who have extensive experience in environmental projects in Bucharest and are affiliated with two non-governmental organizations: Ecopolis Center for Sustainable Policies and Văcărești Natural Park Association. Both organisations played a decisive role in shifting the administrative approach to environmental issues, through initiatives such as installing air quality monitoring sensors and establishing Romania’s first urban natural park- Văcărești Natural Park-, as well as the country’s first urban meadow. Although there are a number of strategic documents and commitments made by local public authorities in Bucharest, the political and administrative vision remains largely focused on the aesthetics and recreational functions of the city’s parks. The main urban challenges revolve around two key dimensions. One of them is pollution, which is driven by individual motorized transport and heating systems(such as private boilers, poor energy efficiency in housing, or the use of polluting fuels during winter, such as wood or even waste, especially among vulnerable families). Therefore, a responsible approach to managing the city in the context of climate warming requires policies that promote alternative or public transport, energy efficiency measures for buildings, and support for vulnerable individuals to replace outdated heating systems. A second key dimension involves designing urban spaces based on the goal of reducing pollution and creating natural areas with enhanced capacity to provide thermal comfort for residents and mitigate the effects of pollution. To address these issues, it is necessary to transform the urban structure and overhaul the current urban planning model, which is based on transit corridors designed to favour car traffic. We are talking about rethinking the spatial structure of cities on a human scale, so that, for example, walking reasonable distances becomes a viable alternative, encouraged through safe and comfortable spaces, protected from the sun during periods of extreme heat(Speck, 2013). In 2025, Bucharest does not have a climate change strategy. Although there is some concern about the issue of climate change, as we show in this report, the projects actually implemented in the city do not explicitly aim to reduce the effects of the climate crisis. Two clear manifestations of the climate crisis in the city are torrential rains with large volumes of water over a very short period of time, and temperatures exceeding 37°C in the shade. Summer storms put flood-prone areas of the city at risk, which can lead to“ damaged infrastructure, material losses amounting to tens of thousands of euros, and hazards. We are talking about financial losses that influence the city’s well-being. But there could also be a cost in human lives, especially if critical services, such as emergency medical care, are disrupted.”[Representative of Văcărești Natural Park Association] Public discourse around these torrential rains focuses exclusively on the capacity of the city’s drainage system to collect rainwater, emphasizing the infrastructure for storm water collection. However, experts advocate for what are known as nature-based solutions. This involves, among other things, systems that allow rainwater to be collected and reused for irrigation during drought periods, for example(in park areas or green pockets, rather than from road surfaces, where filtration systems would be required before the water could be used for irrigation). A complementary solution for managing this water is to increase the permeable surfaces in cities(that is, reducing paved areas and replacing them with soil and vegetation). Measures based on or inspired by nature-based solutions represent one of the most effective paths for local adaptation, with the major advantage of delivering immediate and often multifaceted benefits. A good example is Liniei Park in Sector 6, where a former industrial site along a disused railway line became a high-quality green space and pleasant recreational area. The project is even more valuable as it is located in Militari neighbourhood, which has a limited amount of green space. Climate resilience encompasses multiple dimensions, which manifest with varying intensity across Bucharest, as highlighted in the recent Environmental Status Report 14 Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung e.V.