Recently, an old topic of discussion has resurfaced in the public sphere, albeit rather timidly – the preservation of historic buildings, facades, and architectural decorations. More specifically, these discussions have emerged in the context of the capital’s new General Urban Plan, which, according to some sources, will include clear provisions on this matter, as well as strict regulations concerning Chișinău’s green spaces, aimed at preventing construction on these areas.

It is encouraging that the need to protect green spaces is being discussed, along with the importance of preserving historic buildings. However, I believe that this issue should be approached from a much broader perspective than simply focusing on the obligations that could be imposed on the owners of historic buildings. In June 2024, I published an article on this subject, outlining several ideas that I considered important. However, perhaps the priorities and circumstances were different at the time, and those ideas were overlooked. Given the renewed interest in this topic in the context of the General Urban Plan, I have decided to revisit the issue and highlight some of those ideas once again.

At the time, I wrote that Chișinău has numerous buildings designated as architectural monuments (some privately owned and others publicly owned), many of which are in poor condition, if not downright deplorable. Neither the central nor the local authorities have sufficient financial resources to rehabilitate these monuments (when they are publicly owned), nor do they have the necessary financial and economic mechanisms and incentives to stimulate restoration (when the buildings are privately owned). At the same time, it is obvious that the situation cannot remain unchanged, as every passing day, every rainfall, snowfall, or storm causes increasingly serious damage to these buildings.

In my opinion, the time has come to move from words to action. A first step in this direction would be an objective, emotion-free discussion between local and central authorities. The purpose of this dialogue would be to lay the groundwork for a comprehensive assessment of the situation, ultimately resulting in the development of a clear roadmap. And when I speak of a roadmap, I mean all the legislative and regulatory measures necessary to pave the way for genuine public-private partnerships in this field.

At the second stage, once all matters related to the assessment and the legal and regulatory framework have been addressed, a dialogue platform should be established between the authorities and the business community to discuss public-private partnerships, with a particular focus on the restoration of buildings classified as architectural monuments. It is important that all interested businesses have the opportunity to participate in these discussions, ensuring maximum transparency and a level playing field for everyone. At the same time, such a platform would provide businesses with additional guarantees that they would not subsequently face accusations, attacks, or obstacles once they are already involved in implementing public-private partnership projects.

I am convinced that if all risks, obstacles, and suspicions are eliminated from the outset (by establishing clear and transparent rules and ensuring coordination between central and local authorities), there will be enough businesses willing to get involved and contribute to the restoration of Chișinău’s architectural monuments. In this way, we could address a major problem that we currently face and for which, at first glance, there seem to be few viable solutions. At the same time, businesses would gain additional opportunities.

Therefore, the ball is now in the authorities’ court. Let us see what happens next…

Viorel Godea, General Director of Lagmar Construction Company