BABE-BOLYAI UNIVERSITY

The Concept of Slow City

Can it be applied in Cluj-Napoca?
Du Ovidiu Ionel

Regeneration and re-use are priorities, rather than modernisation and redevelopment for the sake of change. Cittaslow Charter 1999

The objectives of this paper is to determine if Cluj-Napoca would be a suitable candidate for the position of a Slow City membership and if anything can be done to promote the Slow City movement in Cluj if certain criterias are not fulfilled. The first thing that makes Cluj-Napoca unsuitable for the Slow City membership is its number of inhabitants. It needs to have no more than 50000 and Cluj-Napoca has well over 300000. From the beggining I must state that Cluj-Napoca cant be a Slow City not just because if its large number of citizens but also by its structure having a lot of cars, public transport and small green areas compared to its overall size. So in order to suggest any changes to Cluj-Napoca, Ill present the concept itself and some cities that are members of this slow movement and try to recollect some characteristics that would be suitable for Cluj-Napoca. But all is not lost. Some solutions can be given. The concept of slow-city or cittaslow began in Italy in 1999. It was inspired by the Slow Food organization. And both concepts of slow city and slow food are small parts in a bigger movement called Slow Movement. It includes also slow living, slow design or slow arhitecture. To be a slow city or at least have a chance in being called like that, the city has to have no more than 50000 inhabitants. Anything larger than this number would make a applying the concept a bit harder. Because the cittaslow concept has some rules which you must respect to be declared a slow-city. Before the rules, I must explain what does this concept encourage or try to implement wherever its adopted. The first thing that cittaslow wants to bring to cities is improving the quality of life by slowing down the overall pace. This first step is done by reducing or eliminating car traffic. This is done gradually by introducing no traffic day, by diverting traffic to different parts of the city or by focussing on public transport done with a degree of focus in not disturbing the overall aspect and arhitecture of the city. Thats because the cittaslow movement wants or tries to use the spaces in a city more naturally and by doing this encourage the inhabitants to have a more natural pace of life, without traffic or nerves caused by the lack of cars. This is way its important not to have more than 50000 inhabitants. Other rules apply in a small city, especially if that city has a decent amount of green space or symbolic arhictecture. The history of cittaslow and some guidelines in how to become a slow-city. Being a worldwide organization, Cittaslow can grant to a city a specific membership: cittaslow, cittaslow supporter and cittaslow friend. To became a full member of this organisation, your city musnt exceed a population of 50000. After this first rule, the city has to score more than

half of the self-assessment process based on a set of Cittaslow goales and after that apply for admission to the appropriate Cittaslow national network. And this membership has also an annual fee. Being in a club doesnt come cheap and the quality of life isnt cheap when everything is for sale. To become a member of Cittaslow, the city has to fulfill some goals such as: making life better for everyone living in an urban environment, improving the quality of life, making the city stand out among other cities and not be globalized like the whole globe, protecting the environment, promoting the cultural diversity and the uniqueness of that city and providing inspiration for a healthier life style. And one of the solutions in doing this is to promote the local food, the local culture and the local production relying on its own resources and not depend on the world, thus having a specific brand by which each city is characterized. Although Cittaslow began in Italy, the concept has rapidily been adopted in some countries from Europe like Germany, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom, in Australia, in Asia where South Korea has slow-cities and last but not least in the United States of America. In total there are close to 100 slow cities and each day cities apply submission forms to be classified as slow-cities. And the reason to join in the club is this: earning the designation attracts tourism, boosts the local economy, and raises property values. The designation also gives the city the right to use the Slow Cities logo -similar to the Slow Food snail, but with a cluster of buildings riding on its back -- on city documents and promotional information. ["We are looking for towns," the Slow Cities manifesto states, where men are still curious about the old days, towns rich in theatres, squares, cafes, workshops, restaurants, and spiritual places, towns with untouched landscapes and charming craftsmen, towns where people are still able to recognize the slow course of the seasons and their genuine products respecting tastes, health, and customs.] 1 One main aspect of slow cities is their lack of heavy industry and their focus on recycling. Having large green areas, the environmental aspect is important and environmentally friendly building materials and vehicles are encouraged, although not using your car is desired and the traffic is strictly pedestrian, greatly reducing polution and congestion in traffic. These cities are like islands of tranquility and healthy living said Carlo Petrini, founder of the Slow Food and Slow city movements.

http://www.ericjlyman.com/talkenvironment.html

In order to see if Cluj-Napoca has any chances in adopting the slow-movement, first we must see what are the characteristics and traits of the cities that are members of the Cittaslow Movement. And upon those characteristics, we can build a model on which ClujNapoca would focus in order to be considered a slow-city or at least parts of it having the slow-movement criteria present. Because the number of citizens is to big, one idea is to implement this philosophy in certain parts of the city, such as the down-town where the historical buildings are found or in areas where traffic is at its minimum or where green areas are found in a decent amount so that the citizens enjoy life without the hassle of traffic or air polutio. Before that, lets see what cities are members of the Cittaslow movement. One example of slow cities is Ludlow in England. Ludlow from the information given by wikipedia and other sites is a small market town with a population of 10500. From the photos and description, Ludlow is a town where the historical buildings are present and valued and where the green areas make up a large part of the view of the city and of the life style of the inhabitants. Having a medieval history of trade guilds such as shoemakers, butchers, mercers, tailors and cooks, most of the buldings remain the same and this aspect is a trademark of the city and its advantages in being a slow-city, life here being almost the same as it has been several centuries ago. Another aspect is the towns focus in tourism, despite the small number of citizens. Having a rich history, the antique dealers found a thriving business here along side the fruit and vegetables market. In recent history, Ludlow was described by Country Life magazine as the most vibrant small town in England. Ludlow has a festival for almost 50 years and the presence of a castle makes for the historical atmosphere to be more credible when various plays of Shakespeare are staged. Besides that a Food and Drink festival is held in September where small food producers sell their wares. This aspect creates the sense of community in the town and people tend to enjoy life even more when their industry is appreciated by the local community. Ludlow fits one of the CittaSlow requirements; it has less than 50.000 inhabitants. The reason why this concept accepts only such small towns might be that the strength of active public participation and its active networking capacity could be maximized only in such small communities. It is officially governed by a Town Council but has an incredible number of active civil societies; such as Agenda21, Civic Society, Womens Institute, Chamber of Trade, Churches Together, South Shropshire Youth Forum. Active and dynamic public participation and grassroot democracy were the basic driving forces of all kind of creative activities in town, even before the CittaSlow movement was introduced. The town officially

became part of the chain in 2003, as the first British partner. Ludlow also became the coordinator town of the movement in Great Britain The Citta Slow movement concentrates on improving social networks and business cooperation to achieve local development. The intermediary points of this kind of

development are the local markets. The historical town center offers a diversity of small specialist shops, out of which many are family-owned and are offering mainly locally made and cultivated products and personal service. This is called shopping with a personal touch. Instead of fierce competition, a new form of cooperation is witnessed as shopkeepers work together specializing in some niches of the sector and helping out costumers where they can buy products they could not find. The town also shows its commitment to global sustainability, as Ludlow became an official Fair Trade town as well in 2004. The basic concept of slow towns regarding tourism is to treat visitors as if they were residents of the town, as temporary residents. But besides focusing on hospitability, the town movements main goal is to get as much benefit as possible out of tourism while avoiding the costs locals might have to pay due to disturbance. There are several programs for locals and for tourists as well, the main point is that both parties should be targeted at organizing events. The audience of the events is very diverse, but at the fairs all participants are locals or come from the region around. The Festival of Food and Drink has the most traditional roots drawing back to the medieval markets, presently a platform for small producers to display and promote their products. This festival has major importance in providing both a demand for the local products and a chance for the producers and farmers to introduce and promote their products. The main policy of the town leaders is to restore and show the historical town. The financing of the restoration projects is helped by the local government, to ensure that the renovations respect traditional ornaments and fit into the urban landscape of the town. CittaSlow Ludlow started also a significant display project, called Ludlow Town Trail. Presently they are at the stage of fund raising, mainly at the local festivals, through point-sale stickers and displays. The heritage preserving restoration project perfectly fits into this newer initiative. Many might think that the movements efforts concentrate only on preserving what the town already has, therefore could not be a valid option for sustainable urban planning, which

should include some kind of development as well. Ludlow is a great case to show that the Citta Slow movement is not about to be trapped in the past. The suggestions to improve the urban environment based on CityMajor 2007, sites related to the Slow Movement and CittaSlow and the site of Ludlow: 1. Preserve or create identity 2. Restoration of the original conditions of the historical centers and/or of works of cultural or historical value. 3. Stop noise pollution 4. Public recyclable containers, environmentally friendly waste management 5. Green spaces and pedestrian zones 6. Develop a city-wide internet-based network for citizens 7. Promote internet based trade and web-sites for all entrepreneurs 8. Use environment-friendly building materials 9. Increase the status and accessibility of historical town centers preserving local landscape in towns 10. Traffic control -parking schemes 11. Help local cooperation 12. Boost local employment 13. Strengthen local community and networks 14. Preserve local traditions arts and culture festivals gastronomic traditions 15. Raise awareness youth programs 16. Promote quality of hospitality direct contact and personal services 17. Natural and eco-compatible food production 18. Protect the environment, even through production and agriculture techniques 19. Infrastructure policy should focus on qualitative improvement 20. Develop local markets Two major urbanization trends affect the social and economic structures of small rural towns. Both the lack of development and a mismanaged development of a town might lead to serious problems, such as abandonment or homogenization. Uncontrolled tourism could also result in the same, meanwhile putting too much pressure on the local society and ecosystem. This is the problem of large towns as opposed to small towns such as Ludlow. Being too entrepreneurship: farmers, craftsmen and retailers boost

modern and too urban makes your town sometimes too unhospitable for tourists and too crowded for your inhabitants. This is the case of Cluj-Napoca in certain areas. Although the city isnt as crowder as large cities from Europe or as crowded as the capital, it still has a high degree of population density in certain areas, such as Manastur or Marasti where the industrial part of the city was located or relocated after the industry collapsed. This made for grey, unpleasant living flats and thus making for an uneven arhitecture overall the city. The difference between the city center and the outskirts of very visible and this makes ClujNapoca have an disproportionate appearance. The solution like a I proposed in the brief is the ensure that certain parts of the city would be slow-citized. This is because the large number of inhabitants doesnt offer any solution whatsoever. The advantage of Cluj is that is has a large number of historical buildings, the potential of pedestrian traffic in areas where tourism can be developped and the presence of a multicultural background makes for the entire experience worth while. From the 20 points outlined above, Ill try to explain which one can be applied to Cluj-Napoca, in which measure and the general outcome of the suggestions. Preserve or create identity: this can be done with ease because Cluj-Napoca has got an identity as the capital of Transylvania or as the brand would say it: The heart of Transylvania. This fact makes the city easily stand out in the crowd among other cities in Transylvania or Romania. Having a festival internationally recognized such as TIFF where the general aspect of the city changes and bohemia is the rule of the day is also a solution for making the centre of Cluj-Napoca a slow moving part of the city. It has the potential of eliminating the traffic by deviating it on other routes and clearing the way for pedestrians to enjoy the historical buildings like the University building, the mirror buildings, the statue of Matei, the Unirii squre for leasure activities or organized festivals and faires. So identity is an aspect covered or in the process of deffining for the entire world to see. We are getting there step by step. Restoration of the original conditions of the historical centers and/or of works of cultural or historical value.: This has been done with the restoration of the Bastionul Croitorilor and bringing cultural and artistic events inside the building. A proposal to transform the Mihail Kogalniceanu street into a pedestrian way also contributes in discovering and restorating the historical buildings found on that path way such as Colegiul Academic, the University Building, the statue of Saint George slaying a dragon and last but not least the

pedestrian market found near the house of Matyas Rex. This also translates to the centre part of the city Stop noise pollution: This is a big problem and the only sollution I can think of is reducing the overall traffic from small streets onto the big boulevards and banning cars from small streets in order to preserve the slow pace necessarry to be called a slow city and to encourage walking or bicyling. It can be applied in areas where small streets are clogged by cars deviated from the main traffic. Public recyclable containers, environmentally friendly waste management: This has been done and its being applied in to public buildings as well, for example our faculty has public recyclable containers for selective disposal. Apply this to every public building or institution and things will move for the better. Green spaces and pedestrian zones: Besied the Central Park and the Bothanical Garden, Cluj doesnt have that many green areas. This can and must be overseed by the authorities and the NGOs because the potential is great. We have a forest outside the city, small green areas behind our neighbourhoods but nothing in the city centre or in the industrial areas where fresh air and trees are a ally in fighting air and noise pollution. Apply this mainly in the industrial areas such as Manastur and Marasti. Develop a city-wide internet-based network for citizens: This is the mayors job, if it sees the need for such a thing. My sugestion would be more and more occasions for the citizens to gatter and experience the feeling of being a resident of this city. Facebook has the I love Cluj Page so people have reasons to love this city, you just need to make more and more occassions to express your gratitude. Promote internet based trade and web-sites for all entrepreneurs: This is the entrepreneurss job. If they lack promotion and awareness, they should turn to the internet and market themselves for those who browser the internet and arent their main target such as students. Use environment-friendly building materials: Although slow cities encourage the historical heritage, this doesnt mean when restoration comes into play that technology couldnt give a helping hand. The use of eco-friendly building materials should be a focus of contractors and arhitects when specific projects arrise taking into accound to respect the visual heritage that the building has. This can be applied when specific buildings need restoration without sacrificing both aspect and functionality of the materials.

 Increase the status and accessibility of historical town centers preserving local landscape in towns: this has been done and can be improved in preparing Cluj-Napoca for the status of European Cultural Capital of 2020. Traffic control -parking schemes : It exists in the city centre where parking spots are in dirrect correlation with the traffic lights and display the number of free spots. Other parking spots have an underground system for housing cars and ensure that traffic is deviated from certain areas and the general aspect isnt gluttered with cars. Help local entrepreneurship: farmers, craftsmen and retailers boost

cooperation: This is being done with the help of mobile markets and their popularization among citizens. This ensures that farmers cand sell their products in different areas of the city, having a different customers and different feedback for its business. Besides that, the pedestrian walkway next to Matyas Rexs house has weekly craftsmans shops displaying traditional products available for purchase. Boost local employment: This is being done thanks to the high number of students present in the city, the large population present in Cluj and the industry being developped in colaboration with foreign companies such as Bosch. Strengthen local community and networks: I have no idea how besides more and more occassions in which the citizend can come together and enjoy being part of ClujNapoca. The city has traditional restaurants with their own cuisines and festivals or special days for foreign communities or cultural manifestations for the ethnical groups found in Cluj. Preserve local traditions arts and culture festivals gastronomic traditions: This is being done due to the traditional shops present every week on the pedestrian walkway. Alongside they have the Clujana and Napolact brands which display their products in the spring to ensure that the citizens dont forget their traditional heritage and symbols. Raise awareness youth programs: We have a lot of those, BEST being one example. And besides BEST, every faculty has a specific program or class that focuses on the brand awareness of Cluj-Napoca and its identity. My case being this class and this project. Promote quality of hospitality direct contact and personal services: I have no idea how this can be done. If you can supply me with a feedback I would be gratefull. Natural and eco-compatible food production: The same like local traditions. The small farmers sell their natural and eco-compatible food and the public choses wether they want it or not. The price is still an argument for me in buying something that natural on a daily basis.

 Protect the environment, even through production and agriculture techniques: This can be applied in the outskirts of Cluj-Napoca because the main focus of the city isnt agriculture. But the environment can be protected in the city by having less and less trafic or days without traffic to make the citizend aware of their walking potential or to promote public transportation with eco-friendly fuel buses and tramways. Infrastructure policy should focus on qualitative improvement: The only thing I can come up with here is the new tramway system being done and its impact on transportation, efficiency and overall look of the city with modern, clean, silent transportation. Develop local markets: They exist, the only need to be better known by the public. Clujana or Napolact are from Cluj-Napoca and are local and national brands. Other like them can be brought to life and marketed in such a way that the public feels proud that they come from Cluj-Napoca. To conclude the suggestion part, Cluj-Napoca has the potential in adopting a slowmovement concept but only for small parts of the city where the historical and traditional aspect is being valued and marketed in such a degree that people have a habbit in going to the traditional shop to see whats new or to buy some gingerbread hearts. But some aspects, like transportation, pollution, the general aspect of the city has a lot to be desired in a slowmovement city. But Cluj-Napoca being a multifaceted city, one of its traits can be educated to have a more quite pace to counterbalance the lively part of the students and the diversity of the activities held on a weekly/monthly basis in Cluj-Napoca. The TIFF festival can be an opportunity for people to take it easy and be more artsy and quit their cars and just enjoy the movies and the general atmosphere of the city. This is one starting point in creating a community of people joined for the same cause. Others could follow and find their own identity. The days of celebrating the city have yet to be known by the citizens and its identity is still in the wating so this could be another point where you as a citizen can see a different aspect of Cluj-Napoca when all of its beauties should come to life and be celebrated for what they represent in the history of the city. Many would ask after seeing the great success of Ludlow, whether it could be a viable strategy to achieve alternative urban development for other towns as well? It must be pointed out that Citta Slow towns start their career in the movement only if they have proved that they have the capacities to be successful, having an already well articulated agenda. All the goals of the movement should become goals for rural small towns, but one-by-one with a much

slower phase. Therefore the Citta Slow movement is not a magic solution, but it is certain, that the certification makes thing easier and people more excited and more deeply involved. The program can not work well, without committed citizens having a strong sense of community, active civic organizations and strong small business community already. This system provides effective policy background for all these activities and provides a certain network and framework for cooperation and participation. No two citta slow towns are the same, and that is due to public participation and to the fact that development is always based on the local assets and ideas. Building a strong community can solve the problems that a small rural town might face in the era of urbanization. Avoiding to become a dormitory town needs revitalization, connecting back the town with several long lost links to its surroundings, to the local farmers, craftsmens and other traditional workshops. Providing citizens a livelihood and stable social background is a joint task that local leaders and civil organizations must reach. The best way to become a lively centre is to provide opportunity for people to meet and trade. This can be achieved for ClujNapoca just in a very small degree because the city has too much life in it it cannot contain only a single aspect like cittaslow. Students, business-men, elder people, athelets, artsy people, each have their own way of life. And being a multicultural city this provides a bigger challenge to adopt a slow-movement concept. Every culture has its own pace and customs and making sure that a strong community is behind the slow-movement concept requires a lot of understanding between different cultures and this takes time. Its not impossible and not easily achievable but its a goal to transform the city into something more lively, either if you reduce the pace or not, but the effect should be your pleasure in living in this city and your joy of every day life interacting with aspects of the city. Be like a guest in a hospitable city.

Books researched: 1. Research Themes for Tourism - Petern Robinson, Sine Heitmann & Peter Dieke 2. Slow Living - Wendy Parkins & Geoffrey Craig

Sites visited:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. Cittaslow International - www.cittaslow.org Slow City Movement Ennyman's Territory: The Slow City Movement Official Site of Korea Tourism Org.: Exploring Korea's Slow Cities Talk Magazine: Environment: Slow Cities Living on Earth: Slow City Slow living in a city environment The Slow Movement: Making a Connection Slow Cities Spreading Fast : TreeHugger City Mayors: Slow Cities - Citta Slow Cittaslow UK aiming to improve the quality of life in towns across the UK | Cittaslow Ludlow - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Slow Cities Page 1 Slow Country Manifesto Slow Cities: Taking Life Easy in Urban Italy - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International Slow Cities | Small Hands, Big Ideas Turkeys First Slow City Promotes Local Agriculture, Slow Food Movement | Green Prophet slow city noun - definition in British English Dictionary & Thesaurus - Cambridge Dictionary Online Definition of slow city, BuzzWord from Macmillan Dictionary Eric Shackle's eBook - Slow Cities urbanistika.ee - the first myth of the city is that it exists: Slow cities and the slow movement NPQ Slow down, people! Sodium Pentothal Targul producatorilor, inlocuit cu pietele mobile de cartier - Cluj - citynews.ro Trg de produse tradiionale ardeleneti la Muzeul de Art Despre Produs de Cluj | Produs de Cluj Foaia Transilvana - Trguri cu produse tradiionale pentru Dragobete i Mrior Primria Cluj-Napoca vrea pietonal pe strada Mihail Koglniceanu Nou val de pietonale n Cluj A treia ediie a trgului "Produs de Cluj", n acest weekend. Vezi programul