Around the cities of Romania, during the capitalist years, some sorts of luxury favelas have emerged. Although these ensembles are meant as residential areas for Romanian middle and upper class, the metropolitan landscape is formed outside of an urban planning preconception.

People build whatever house they want, wherever they own land, they consider roads anywhere they can get with the car, there is no infrastructure, but it builds along the way. People make fences so their habitats would end at their limits.

Outside the limits there is a no man’s land with its own life: garbage and debris disposal, wandering stray dogs gone wild and people who search through the garbage.

With each one building according to his own will, the urban environment was unconsciously built by the community, free of standards. I think these places are a better reflection of the collective’s intent, of the community character, than the places which are developed according to a plan.

In a moment of distraction I was caught aware of their beauty.