IRES Survey: 8 out of 10 Cluj residents think the new urban reconversion and regeneration project by IULIUS is a good idea for the development of the city

Cluj residents want the old industrial areas to be integrated in the development plans for the city * 94% of respondents think that the new project will help diversify the leisure offer * 91% expect it to boost the economic growth of the city * the investment proposed by IULIUS will restore an inaccessible former industrial area of the city via a mixed-use project combining retail, cultural, entertainment, office, and service components inspired by the expectations and needs of Cluj residents.

82% of Cluj residents interviewed in a survey on the new urban regeneration project proposed by IULIUS in Cluj-Napoca and who said they were familiar with the project, think this is a very good idea for the development of the city. The surveys conducted by IRES, as requested by IULIUS, revealed that an overwhelming 89% of respondents were favorable to the integration of the old industrial areas into the development plans for the city.

The community consultations were conducted both in October 2023 and in April 2024, with similar conclusions that converge to a high favorability towards the project proposed by IULIUS, in a wider context that reflects a high level of resident engagement in how the city is evolving. Thus, 86% of respondents stated they are quite interested and very interested with life in the city, while 80% stated they are quite informed and very informed about what is happening in the city. The same study shows that 94% of respondents are happy and very happy to live in Cluj-Napoca.

IULIUS has a new project for Cluj-Napoca pending approval, in the form of a 500+ million Euro investment set to transform the former Carbochim industrial platform and restore it to the city through a complex urban reconversion and regeneration process. The project includes a green area upwards of 52,000 sqm and the revitalization of the Someș riverfront, which will be accessible to visitors for the very first time; these two elements address the growing interest of residents in the region in spending time outdoors. The project will also include a retail component, which will provide a new leisure area with sports facilities (including outdoors ones), a live arts center, new family entertainment concepts, fresh market, medical hub, the latest cinema experiences (plus open air cinema), services, restaurants and coffee shops, as well as green office and residential buildings.

Pole of social attraction – cultural, educational and entertainment uses

The concept designed by world acclaimed Dutch architecture firm UNStudio also proposes the preservation of two heritage buildings from the old platform, namely the arcade hall and the brick building, which will undergo rehabilitation and will take on cultural and coworking uses in the new project. IRES surveys also highlighted that 94% of survey respondents find that the new IULIUS project – which includes premiering cultural uses in Romania, as part of a real estate project (performing arts center, auditorium), as well as entertainment concepts that are unique in the region (interactive entertainment centers for all ages) – is beneficial for diversifying the leisure offer available in the city. Thus, 93% of respondents said that the new cultural center dedicated to performing arts to be integrated in the project was a good and very good idea, while 92% said that including the concepts designed for children and the youth was a good idea.

“The accelerated growth of Cluj-Napoca City and the metropolitan areas in the last 10 to 15 years increased the city residents’ need to have access to diverse facilities, including leisure facilities. Shopping malls have long grown beyond their status as places where people only go to do their shopping, as they took on superior functionalities and became cores of communities where people don’t just shop, but rather live, spend their time, and socialize. The area of Cluj-Napoca where IULIUS Group’s project is proposed to be developed is one almost entirely lacking in leisure options or cultural infrastructure, and with no major improvements to it in terms of urban planning, so the functionalities announced by the developer are naturally received with a high degree of favorability by Cluj locals,” said Dan Jurcan, Research Director at IRES.

A new urban garden – 700 mature trees and 100,000 decorative plants

Furthermore, 92% of survey responders said that the urban garden is among the most important uses for them, a component to which IULIUS attaches great importance, being the developer that integrated parks as an active component of its urban regeneration projects. The gardens fitted in Iulius Town Timișoara, Palas Iași and Iulius Mall Cluj, using a total budget upwards of 18 million Euro, have become go-to places for socializing and the scene for the most important artistic, cultural, and social events. The projects are signed by acclaimed landscape architects from Romania and abroad, and the trees, shrubs, and decorative plants are carefully selected in line with the local climate.

The new garden in Cluj is also underway, with approximately 700 mature trees already acclimating in the temporary nursery fitted with the support of USAMV Cluj-Napoca. Alongside them, another 100,000 decorative plants will transform more than 52,000 sqm of the former industrial area in a park that will complete the natural setting of the area, defined in particular by Someș River, and also improve air quality.

Contribution to the creation of the green-blue mobility corridor

According to the IRES surveys, the new project is considered a good idea for the development of the area, with 91% of respondents expecting it to boost the economic growth. In fact, the survey shows that the jobs are the main reason for the satisfaction of Cluj residents with the city (10%), and the new project will help create new professional opportunities. 90% of respondents believe it will contribute towards the development of the Someș River green-blue corridor. In order to support mobility, the proposed project will integrate ample public utility investments, including a road bridge with bicycle lanes, as well as two pedestrian walkways across the river, the upgrading and widening of perimetral streets, coordinating traffic in junctions, and fitting out more than 3,200 meters of bicycle lanes, both for traffic arterials around the project, and within the project, including along the Someș riverfront, in line with the plans of the municipality.

“The surveys confirm that the project IULIUS proposes is relevant for the local public, a public that is educated and demanding alike. All the uses of the Carbochim urban regeneration project, tested with help from IRES, have a high level of favorability among respondents, which reconfirms that our proposal is a realistic one. In fact, with every new project we make sure to understand the city that we are addressing and, to this end, we establish dialogue with all the local stakeholders, namely the population, authorities, civil society. For Cluj-Napoca, we launched the partedincluj.ro platform two years ago, using it to consult the community from the very first concept development phases in order to understand their expectations regarding the future of the city and the new project. Their answers can now be found in the project proposal,” said Sorin Guttman, manager of the new IULIUS project in Cluj-Napoca.

The project proposed by IULIUS integrates the former Carbochim industrial platform spanning approx. 14 hectares as an ca active and attractive part of the city. The factory was relocated and upgraded as of the end of 2023 and entailed an investment of 7 million Euro to date.

The IRES surveys were conducted on samples of 1,045 respondents (October 2023) and 1,041 respondents (April 2024), respectively, with a ±3% error margin, such samples being representative samples from the non-institutionalized population in Cluj-Napoca.