1,828,018 inhabitants
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surface area: 238 km2
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Capital of Romania & one of the largest cities in Southeastern Europe.
Climate: hot summers & cold winters
Which pressures?
 Air Quality  Disasters
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Why?
Environmental pressures targeted by SMURBS
 Air Quality: Nitrogen dioxide is an important air pollutant in Bucharest because it contributes to the formation of photochemical smog, which can have significant impacts on human health, the major source of this gas being emitted by motor vehicles, power stations, and industrial facilities. The main sources of particulate matter (PM) pollution are: traffic (responsible for about 70% of air pollution), which generates fine dust particles; thermal power plants; industry and construction via fine dust particles resulting from the friction of particles and sped in air; and the handling of materials, which produce dust.
Disasters: Bucharest is particularly vulnerable to seismic hazards because of the high density of inhabitants especially within residential districts with blocks of flats, the old public utility network, the out-of-date infrastructure, and the numerous urban industrial parks that are undergoing a restructuring process towards e.g. commercial spaces. |
How?
The implementation of smart urban solutions
Air Quality: In the context of the new Coronavirus, the tropospheric vertical column of NO2 levels in Romania, by the Sentinel-5P/TROPOMI (S5P) instrument were examined prior to and during the Covid-19 pandemic. The weekly maximum values for tropospheric NO2 over the Romanian territory have been examined.
Disasters: Based on the results of PANGEO (https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/262371/reporting ) and Syrisproject (www.ccias.ro/sirys)/ https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6946450, a cross-validation methodology has been developed within SMURBS. Seven areas of geo-instability have been identified as natural land movements, established on a temporal series of Sentinel 1 covering the time span 2016 – 2019 and a vertical displacement map of Bucharest is provided, being generated by applying the Permanent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) technique. Instability areas are indicated, revealing the extension of displacements and more important the landslide-prone areas. Bucharest can be benefited from this action as long as decision-makers take into consideration this solution by integrating into the spatial planning legislation, through granting construction permits. |
