The yards of apartment buildings and public spaces in Chisinau during the last few years were outfitted with new benches, dustbins and decorative urban furniture. Municipal authorities’ efforts to improve the image of the city are thwarted yet by vandals. About 50 units of urban furniture are annually vandalized in Chisinau. The head of the General Housing and Amenities Division Ion Burdiumov said the police are alerted every time. When they are identified, the culprits are obliged by legal ways to pay damages for the vandalized furniture.
Street furniture in city is replaced when necessary and at dwellers’ request
The street furniture is replaced not only when necessary, but also when the dwellers, associations of dwellers or municipal housing sector managing enterprises request, concomitantly with the municipal programs to place urban furniture under implementation. In public spaces, incusing green areas, such as parks and squares, new furniture is installed within the implemented projects.
In yards of apartment buildings, metal or wood benches with backrest and lateral arm support and steel dustbins with an average volume of 35 liters are being set up. Benches with backrest, cats iron legs and wood panels are requested for public spaces. They also ask for dustbins placed on a pole with the volume of 48 liters and bins surrounded by decorative wood panels and cast iron legs. Reinforced concrete benches and dustbins are also used.
There are about 3,000 trash can and approximately 2,000 benches in the city, stated Ion Burdiumov.
8 million lei for installing urban furniture
The length of life of the furniture depends on its quality and varies between five and ten years. Over 8 million lei was spent last year on replacing the old benches and dustbins. The same sum was earmarked in 2023 for installing urban furniture. It is planned to set up 500 benches and 300 litterbins in the yards of apartment buildings and also 300 cast iron benches and dustbins in public spaces and 200 trash cans at public transport stations.
The urban furniture is bought from licensed companies or is made by the economic operator that installs this. The purchases are made by the General Housing and Amenities Division. “If a person or a business entity wants on their own initiative to set up one or several pieces of urban furniture, they need to coordinate this action with the Division and the district head’s office. The person presents the model of furniture and a scheme of its location and a decision is then taken whether to allow installing this or not, if the requirements are met,” stated the Division’s head.
Besides traditional urban furniture, the General Housing and Amenities Division sets up also sports urban furniture. In 2022, there were placed 25 chess tables, 27 tennis tables and 18 arm wrestling tables.