Romanian Nationalists Rage in Brussels Against ’15-Minute’ Urban Bill

Supporters of Romania's nationalistic Alliance for the Union of Romanians, AUR, protested in Brussels against a draft law on the efficient urbanisation of Romanian cities, claiming it will limit people's freedom of movement.

The protest staged in front of the European Commission relates to a draft bill in Romania generically called "the 15-minute city", based on the concept of Colombian urban planner Carlos Moreno, a professor at the Sorbonne in Paris.

The concept assumes that people should be able to get within about 15 minutes' walk or cycle to the places they need every day, such as schools, shops, markets, doctors or work.

For this to be possible, governments should provide the necessary infrastructure and build new neighbourhoods according to certain models.

The bill is currently before Romania's Chamber of Deputies for approval by specialist committees. Parliament's other chamber, the Senate, already adopted it in the first reading in February.

If Romania's parliament passes the bill, it will have implications for the future construction of urban centres according to specific rules and for the restructuring of existing ones.

The most affected construction expansion is the capital, Bucharest, which is struggling with dense traffic and a lack of road infrastructure. Bucharest has meanwhile blocked the Zonal Urban Plan, PUZ, for more than two years, preventing specific large-scale constructions.

The vice-president of the Romanian Order of Architects, Bogdan Andrei Fezi, quoted by Pro TV, has defended the new concept.

"Around 1900, garden city projects developed self-sufficient neighbourhoods. They were repeated in Europe, Milan, Valencia, Asia, and America - because it had a fundamental purpose. We all...