Chisinau implementing large-scale restoration project for historic city center

Authorities in Chișinău are implementing a large-scale project aimed at restoring the city's historic center and creating a unified urban planning system, a representative of the Chișinău municipality said during a panel discussion held as part of WUF13 in Baku.

Report quotes her as saying the project covers an area of approximately 700 hectares in the historic center of the Moldovan capital.

"This is a vast territory with significant historical heritage, which makes its planning and development a highly complex task," the municipal representative said.

She noted that Chișinău's master plan was originally developed in 2007, while land-use regulations were approved in 2008.

"These documents also envisaged the development of a zoning plan and a transport development scheme for the area," she added.

According to the official, city authorities began developing a zoning plan for the historic center and a detailed historical and architectural reference plan two years ago.

"We had to examine around one thousand monuments and sites of local significance, carry out photographic documentation, and analyze archival materials," she stressed.

She added that all materials have now been digitized, with the next stage focusing on defining protection zones and drafting preservation regulations.

At the same time, municipal authorities are working on a new master plan for Chișinău, the development of which began last year.

"Our task is to ensure coordination between the master plan, the transport plan, and the development documents for the historic center," the representative said.

In addition, the city is implementing a separate mobility and transport planning project jointly with UN-Habitat.

The representative said that the initiative is highly ambitious, but city authorities remain confident in its successful implementation.