Attention and care in the city

The city which we are continually negotiating commands our attention: when we avoid an obstacle in our path, see someone we recognise in the street, or when a place reminds us of something.

There are times when our daily routines and oft-repeated routes make the city seem so familiar to us that we no longer notice what might initially have bothered us or caught our eye.

We no longer react, we just walk past – “It’s not our problem!” –, we try to get around it, each in our own way. In a word, the problem is still there, but we notice it less and less, even though it may be affecting us more and more.

The things that bother us in urban spaces can give rise to individual or collective responses. From individual action to collective action is only a small step. But it requires us to open our eyes, to move from inattention to attention, to switch from being attentive to being considerate, towards others and towards our surroundings.

Boulevard crossings: when the cyclist becomes a pedestrian

Pentru că pista de biciclete continuă doar spre bulevardul Griviței, biciclistul se transformă în pieton pentru a trece strada Mihail Kogălniceanu.

The cyclist choses small roads

Prendre le vélo dans le Centre civique sollicite beaucoup le cycliste.

Le cycliste obligé de passer en souterrain

Pour éviter la circulation dense du boulevard 15 Novembre, certains cyclistes préfèrent transiter par le passage souterrain, moins fréquenté.

The Rainbow Underpass: difficulty in walking up and down and bypassing the signage

The entry to the Rainbow Underpass attracts children riding their tricycles who are looking for shelter from the sun under the shade provided by advertising displays.

From lack of interest to caring for one another

Taking the same footways through the neighbourhood makes it possible to notice certain persons frequently met that stand out from the amorphous mass of passers-by.

Caring for each other in the labyrinth of car parks

While crossing the Civic Centre area, the pedestrian generally chooses to avoid the permanent noise

A winding footway through the car park, eyes in search of colour refugees

When exiting from the Rainbow Underpass, the pedestrian is not guided in any way.

Cycling on 15 Noiembrie Boulevard

In order to avoid the sometimes intense traffic because of the lack of a cycling lane, some cyclists prefer to ride their bicycles on the pavement.

The “Hidro” area: a sort of legend

The “Hidro” area: a sort of legend

Regarding the location of the shopping centre in the Hidro area, a neighbourhood inhabitant tells us:

Different ages, different experiences with the underway

A woman stops to look at the paintings exhibited in the underpass that seems deserted or at least, at rest.

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