Rezumat/Abstract. The present study highlights the “new towns” designed in the socialist period in Romania and tries to show that the inertia and indifference of the local government can only exacerbate their urban quality degradation. To counter the vicious cycle of neglect and indifference created after 1989, a coherent urban policy must combine a campaign for changing the mentality and image with new practical solutions for improving the quality of urban space. These two directions are mutually supporting in the same way that the negative perception and degradation have emphasized each other over the past 20 years. This study is primarily aimed at professionals and government policy-makers of urban revitalization, but also wants to be a minimal contribution to the public awareness of the problems faced by the “new” socialist cities and their pronounced deterioration.

Cuvinte cheie/Key words: new towns, neighbourhood units, urban planning

Text integral/Full text