Mureș Parks International Design Competition

The Municipality of Târgu Mureș, in collaboration with the Romanian Order of Architects and supported by the Mureș Territorial Branch of OAR, has officially launched the Mureș Parks International Design Competition. The initiative invites architects, landscape architects and urban designers to envision a new green blue system that reconnects the city with the Mureș River through the transformation of the Hippodrome Park, Municipal Park and Turbinei Canal corridor.

Conceived as a public, single stage international competition, the call seeks a comprehensive design proposal that will serve as the basis for awarding a future design services contract. The competition positions landscape as a strategic tool for urban regeneration, climate resilience and civic identity.

WATER, LANDSCAPE AND URBAN IDENTITY

Târgu Mureș has long been shaped by water. The Mureș River, its tributaries and historic meanders have influenced the city’s form, infrastructure and spatial organization for centuries. Over time, however, the relationship between the city and its waterways has become increasingly fragmented. Engineering interventions aimed at control and protection have often resulted in the physical and perceptual separation of water from daily urban life.

This competition proposes a decisive shift in perspective. Rather than treating water as a boundary or obstacle, the project calls for its reintegration as a defining element of public space. The ambition is to restore the identity of Târgu Mureș as a river city by creating a continuous green blue ensemble that reconnects nature, history and contemporary urban life.

FROM FRAGMENTED GREEN SPACES TO A COHERENT PARK SYSTEM

The competition area currently consists of disconnected green fragments scattered across the former floodplain of the Mureș River. These spaces are the result of incremental development and urban densification, often lacking spatial continuity and ecological coherence. Cut off from both the historical core of the city and the natural dynamics of the river, they function more as residual landscapes than as meaningful public spaces.

Design proposals are expected to reunite these fragments into a coherent system that restores ecological continuity along the historical riverbed while creating new spaces for promenade, leisure and everyday social life. By linking the Hippodrome area, the relict meander, the riverbanks, the Municipal Park and the Turbinei Canal, the project has the potential to form a new green backbone within the city’s public space network.

A LANDSCAPE FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND PUBLIC LIFE

Beyond its symbolic and spatial ambitions, the Mureș Parks project is rooted in contemporary challenges. The competition emphasizes landscape performance, urban climate adaptation and sustainable mobility. Proposals are encouraged to strengthen biodiversity, improve microclimatic conditions and support non motorized movement through high quality pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.

At the same time, the new park system is envisioned as a social landscape. Spaces for recreation, relaxation, outdoor exercise and play should coexist with quieter zones for contemplation and contact with nature, offering a diverse range of experiences for residents and visitors alike.

AN OPEN INTERNATIONAL PLATFORM

Organized by the Romanian Order of Architects in accordance with national legislation and OAR best practice guidelines, the competition is open to participants from Romania, the European Union, the European Economic Area and Switzerland. It is structured as an independent design competition, with the winning proposal forming the basis for a negotiated design services contract with the Municipality of Târgu Mureș.

With a submission deadline of April 20, 2026, the Mureș Parks International Design Competition represents a significant opportunity to rethink the relationship between water, landscape and urban life in a Central European city. It calls for visionary yet grounded proposals capable of transforming fragmented green spaces into a resilient, symbolic and lived landscape for the future of Târgu Mureș.

Title: Mureș Parks, Târgu Mureș, Romania, International Design Competition. Submission Deadline
on April 20, 2026 at 04:00 PM.

It is free.

Country Restrictions: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Holy See (Vatican City State), Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Malta, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Kosovo

Access the website for registration and more: https://oar.archi/en/concursuri/oar/mures-parks/