“Cultures and climates differ all over the world, but people are the same. They’ll gather in public if you give them a good place to do it.”
Jan Gehl
Bucharest, Romania
Bucharest faces a fragmented urban structure, with low-density peripheral districts lacking easy access to everyday services. Within the PROWD framework, Bucharest offers a testing ground for strengthening local centers, improving walkability, and integrating flexible mobility systems to bridge gaps between neighborhoods. Its rapidly evolving urban fabric makes it well-suited for piloting innovative proximity-based solutions.
Which area of Bucharest is the focus of PROWD’s efforts? The Northern Part of the city, along with Pipera and the Western side of Bradagiru, both neighborhoods being located in the Bucharest-Ilfov Metropolitan Area. The sector features a mix of residential buildings, including communist-era apartment blocks and newer developments, along the rural-urban interface and affecting the ABC policy model promoted by the local administration.
Lisbon,
Portugal
Lisbon combines historic, compact neighbourhoods with expanding low-density suburban areas where access to services is uneven. The PROWD project can support Lisbon’s ongoing sustainability goals by enhancing local service clusters, improving last-mile mobility in hilly areas, and promoting inclusive public space design. Lisbon’s strong climate-action agenda provides fertile ground for proximity-driven urban transformation.
Which area of Lisbon is the focus of PROWD’s efforts? North of Lisbon Metropolitan Area, where both affluent and disadvantaged residents live. The new areas offer relatively affordable housing, making the area an attractive place to live for people seeking a balance between periurban tranquillity and urban conveniences accessible by car.
Rome,
Italy
Rome’s polycentric yet scattered urban form presents a challenge for achieving everyday proximity, especially in peripheral zones characterised by low density and limited public transport. PROWD’s approach can help Rome revitalise its local centres, strengthen active mobility networks, and leverage its polycentric structure to deliver 15-minute services more equitably across the metropolitan area.
Which area of Rome is the focus of PROWD’s efforts? In the northern sector of Rome Metropolitan Area, along the Tiber Valley, where a succession of urbanized settlements is disposed along the main roads, from which filaments of homes and gated communities branch out, part of them built illegally or according to permissive rules for construction in agricultural areas; people’s needs and vulnerability in those areas are less studied by the research, compared to Rome’s consolidated periphery; here, several actors working in the socio-cultural sphere are linking the theme of care of the territory with educational and learning paths.
Vilnius,
Lithuania
Vilnius combines fast suburban growth with emerging neighbourhood centres, creating uneven levels of accessibility. As a digitally forward city, Vilnius is well-positioned to adopt PROWD’s innovative planning tools to enhance proximity in low-density areas. Strengthening local services, improving green mobility connections, and supporting mixed-use development can help embed the 15-minute city model into its expanding urban landscape.
Which area of Vilnius is the focus of PROWD’s efforts? The southeastern sector of the Vilnius Metropolitan Area, where tranquil residential neighborhoods with a very low degree of density offer access to nature and outdoor activities. However, these areas lack basic services due to slow investment in social infrastructure, lagging behind the rapid development of private housing projects.