Using Geospatial Information Tools to Plan Green Infrastructures in Response to Climate Changes: Examples from Bucharest, Romania and Chisinau, Moldova

Provided that, if made in a sustainable way, urban planning contributes to urban sustainability and to the welfare of urban populations, comparative applied planning studies have a societal relevance in addition to the scientific one. Nevertheless, while theoretical urban studies, including those comparative, are relatively well represented, there is a scarcity of comparative studies based on planning practices. Our study fills in this gap comparing Bucharest (Romania) and Chisinau (Moldova) by their experience in planning for the green infrastructure using geospatial technologies and data-driven approaches. The methodology integrates data-based comparisons between the two cities (wherever possible) and qualitative approaches. The results of the comparison indicate that in Bucharest, a proposal for a green infrastructure network could be drafted, provided the availability of scientific results from several projects and institutions. However, a similar proposal could not be drafted for Chisinau due to lacking data. The comparison sustains the initial goal, demonstrating the usefulness of using data and scientific results in planning. At the same time, the results show that countries that share many things can have different approaches to planning. Our study opens new avenues for future research, including the extension to different topics and more diverse countries compared.