Oltenia’s heritage

Whichever way we decide to go about the issue of human society development, the first step implies defining the territory which this growth would have effect on. This definition involves physical delimitation, the identification of the geographical, historical, socio-cultural and economic characteristics, the connections to the contextual surroundings. A thorough analysis of this information will reveal resources, opportunities, evaluate the growth potential,identify the primary and ad-hoc directions as well as ways to implement them.

After the initial assessment, the major risks would be those generated by historicism, as harmful as those introduced by the overestimation of the development. This statement is even more explicit as the territory which the intervention will be done on is more fragile.

In view of globalization (when development is approached based on competitive criteria) enforcing standardized procedures not fully assimilated, can turn a benefic concept like sustainable development into a nightmare. It is fundamentally true that sustainable development has become a modern myth, just like globalization perhaps, but it’s up to us to bring the fairytale to life, especially since these two directions are not mutually exclusive, on the contrary, they can be of use to each other.

The planner, the investor, the developer, the town planner have to suggest the best location for the type of development that allows for the preservation (or setting) of a state of equilibrium in each of the scenarios. This can be achieved through the intervention of the architect. In itself, building is an act against nature and the way in which the founder addresses it, can make building an enjoyable experience, friendly to the environment, with no derogation from its purely utilitarian purpose.