Green infrastructure is becoming increasingly prominent in the European Union’s urban development strategies. According to the European Environment Agency (EEA, 2024), integrating green spaces significantly helps reduce the urban heat island effect, capture particulate matter, and improve overall urban quality of life.

In Romania, major cities such as Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, and Bucharest are beginning to adopt public policies aimed at expanding parks, transforming abandoned industrial areas, and greening mobility corridors. INS data show that in 2023 the surface area of green spaces in municipalities increased by 2.8% compared to the previous year. European funding programmes under the NRRP and the Just Transition Programme include dedicated lines for green infrastructure, with the goal of generating climate resilience and social inclusion.

The Ministry of the Environment also launched a national initiative in 2024 focused on urban tree mapping, aimed at identifying deficit areas and prioritising local interventions. Green infrastructure is not merely aesthetic—it is functional: it reduces health costs, improves air quality, supports biodiversity, and strengthens social cohesion. The European direction is clear: cities must become greener, more adaptable, and healthier for their citizens.

(Photo: Freepik)