American Dream

Rental Car Tour: Bucharest: Birthplace of Smart Growth (1.1 MB download)

In a previous article, I evoked the ire of many U.S. urban planners by suggesting that the late Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaucescu was the “Father of Smart Growth” --- the philosophy that the values of urban planners must be imposed upon the city to increase densities and deny people the right to live how they like. Little did I realize how apt was the title. I was to learn that if Ceaucescu was the “Father of Smart Growth,” then Bucharest was its birthplace.

The dictator-planner saw to it that the city grew. To make sure it happened he destroyed villages around the country and forced people to move into Bucharest high-rises…

Other Rental Car Tours at this Link