A Suitable Model for the Romanian Lifestyle: Garden Cities in Bucharest (1908-1948)

Authors’ Comment

The first book of historian Andrei Răzvan Voinea represents a solid investigation of the housing strategies in Bucharest, based on the Ph.D. earned by the author at the University of Architecture and Town Planning Bucharest and on his research grants in Europe (Central European University) and US (University of Pittsburgh). Built as a critique of the ideas of Garden City and its translations in Romanian urban planning theory and practice, the study relies on an extensive research in the archives, a fieldwork research with hundreds of interviews and in-depth Foucauldian interpretation of the health policies which triggered the construction of the dwellings intended for working class. The book investigates the activity of the Municipal Company for Low-Cost Housing in Bucharest and its lottisements, 24 small districts designed and built all over the city, housing more than 15.000 tenants. Due to its reach illustrations (Graphic Design by Faber Studio, probably the best graphic designers specialized in architectural books from Romania), the book is easy to follow and to understand.