Active Loop

Authors’ Comment

Active Loop proposes an infrastructural intervention to activate the social, economic, and cultural potential of Piața 700 in Timișoara, Romania, a market serving diverse local businesses, from farmers to florists. Currently, the public realm is fragmented, with deteriorating surfaces and heavy vehicular traffic disrupting pedestrian movement. Despite these challenges, the market remains a crucial hub for a wide range of residents, meeting daily needs and facilitating social interaction. The project leverages the year-round activity of Piața 700, envisioning a public realm that addresses hotter summers, volatile winters and an evolving urban landscape with fewer cars and more pedestrians. Through a layered approach—’ground,’ ‘just-above-ground,’ and ‘up-in-the-air’—Active Loop proposes a vibrant civic loop, offering a resilient, inclusive and pedestrian-friendly public realm that reflects the challenges of climate change in cities.

The ‘Ground’ layer unifies Piața 700’s surroundings through weather-resistant, striated floor paint and a 300-meter painted loop that links the site’s most active areas, fostering pedestrian engagement and transforming vehicular crossings into pedestrian-friendly shared streets. This encourages walking over driving, contributing to a climate-conscious public realm. Simple surface treatments retrofit existing asphalt and concrete sidewalks, creating a cohesive, accessible, and vibrant pedestrian network through the preservation and adaptive reuse of current building stock. This loop provides flexible public space for seasonal events, markets, and community gatherings, envisioning streets as active spaces responding to climate needs all year round.

In the ‘Just-Above-Ground’ layer, the two-dimensional loop painted on the floor transforms into three-dimensional civic furniture. Constructed as modular, low-carbon concrete benches, it serves as the foundation for modular wooden and recycled steel components that can adapt to future needs. This design accommodates various programs, energizing moments along the loop. Key elements include a washing fountain, community cooking stations and covered dining tables, free little libraries and a film seating area, as well as health stations with water provisions - all designed to leverage the market's offerings into engaging intergenerational and market-to-table programming for increasingly hotter summer days. Food programming fosters local economic development for small-scale producers by expanding the transactional nature of the market into a civic one enabling visitors to enjoy these offerings in the public realm.

‘Up-In-The-Air’ introduces an ephemeral element deployed during specific cultural events throughout the year. It consists of a standardized 8-meter helium balloon, secured by three cables along the loop. This elevated balloon marks the presence of Piața 700 in the city’s skyline while providing nighttime lighting for events like cooking and other cultural events. The messages projected onto the balloon will be determined through collaborations with local artists. This initiative embraces the principle of Jane Jacobs' "eyes on the street," enhancing the vibrant public realm and extending functionality into non-daylight hours.

This vision positions Piața 700 as a thriving urban hub that fosters social interaction, economic growth, and environmental awareness, creating a dynamic space that is adaptable, sustainable, and inclusive for all users.