Habitat of Bucharest

Team: project developed whitin the framework of TUB  and managed by Alex Axinte and Cristi Borcan (studioBASAR), together with landscape designers Vera Dobrescu and Diana Culescu (Faculty of Horticulture, Landscape Design section), researcher Dorel Ruşti (Grigore Antipa National Museum of National History) and Raluca Vişinescu (Bloc Office).
Year:
2008

01_titlu1Who are Bucharest people now ? And, what does this mean, to come from Bucharest apart from living or going to work there ? You are from Bucharest if you get your nest in a tree, did your own burrow every spring, get your area to search for food every day or cling yourself to blind walls and fences. Bucharest inhabitants are also those crossing the zebra on four legs, taking the tram and living around the apartment buildings, getting their roots into parks and abandoned areas, going catching fish into the Dambovita river, and going back every evening in large flocks from the centre to the dormitories while others get together at night and keep flying in a circle around the bulbs. Other Bucharest inhabitants sharing the city with us are numerous and diverse.harta_fata_edited-5_faralegenda2Map Legend: light green - Gardens, dark green - Parks, orange - No man’s Land, yellow - Neither of Them, white - buildings.

The Habitat of Bucharest project attempts to explore the urban presence of some of the most common and representative species of plants and animals living in Bucharest. A map of the natural town and twenty cards about other inhabitants refering to urban miths, collected data and usefull advice; the local, the tourist and the expert are encouraged to explore the city as if a natural park.

03_harta_versoTree of heaven

Scientific name: Ailanthus Altissima

Type: Leafy tree

Height: Between 15-25 meters

Spreading area in Bucharest: Generally it can be found in abandoned areas: waste ground, vacant industrial areas etc. It is also rarely met as one of the species planted on the side of roads.

Area: Country of origin China. In Romania it is more often met in the plain regions, in Baragan, Oltenia, in the peasants’ courtyards and in abandoned hill areas.04_cenuser_pozaThe tree of heaven is a very undemanding tree in terms of the conditions it needs to grow. As it is extremely resistant to drought and smoke, it managed to adapt very well to the urban environment. If we consider the minimum requirements that have to be met in order to survive, Ailanthus altissima is one of the first plants that grow on abandoned land, managing to develop where few plants can survive. Although it is very useful for consolidating bank slopes, coast areas and degraded land, this species is avoided in the green urban areas due to its invasive character. The tree of heaven gives off a series of chemical substances that are harmful for the native species and change the vegetal layer, managing to change the environment on a large scale. Ailanthus Altissima is a tree that reaches 25 meters, but sometimes it may remain a shrub, with heights ranging between 2 and 7 meters. The crown of the tree is scarce, with robust branches. The leaves are large (up to 70 cm long) and they are made of an odd number of folioles. The flowers are unisexual-dioecious, which means that every type of flower (male and female) grows on a separate tree. Generally the male flowers have an unpleasant smell and may cause allergies. In Bucharest this tree may be often met on the top floors of abandoned buildings, its root growing inside the walls. The most representative image is that of Gabroveni Inn located in the historic center, which was invaded by this species.

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The Black-Headed Gull

Scientific name: Larus ridibundus

Classification: Vertebrates, birds

Length: 38 - 44 cm

Spreading area in Bucharest: winter guest, mostly on water surfaces that have not frozen; in Romania it is also a summer guest

Area: Europe, Asia, the Eastern seaside of Canada.

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What is an aquatic bird doing in a city? The same thing as any other animal: looking for food, a shelter and a mating place. Strange as it is, the big cities are very favorable habitats for a bold and opportunistic bird that does not hesitate to look for food in the most unexpected places: from the food waste dumped in the landfill, to the earthworms and larva dug out by a tractor ploughing the field. The black-headed gull does not take too many risks by going into the open sea but it would rather build its nest in reed plots, on waste island lakes or other similar locations. The birds visiting Bucharest come from the North where winter is harsher. The black head is characteristic for the summer nuptial plumage; in winter the head is mainly white. The plumage of the young birds is different from that of the adult ones. There is another seagull species living in Bucharest - the Herring or Caspian gull (Larus (argentatus) cachinnans). Much larger than the blackheaded gull (56-67 cm long), it builds its nest on tall buildings where there is no one to disturb it (a very popular place is the terrace roof of Casa Poporului - the megalomaniac palace left to us by the Ceausescu regime - and it feeds on the fields outside the city. It is a predatory bird, feeding mainly on rodents in the nesting season, but it also feeds on organic waste which is plenty in our “non-European” garbage.

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The study is composed of twenty postcards, ten with animals, and then with plants specific for the city of Bucharest.

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