The people from the two areas were consulted during meetings held in the framework of the participatory budgeting process, which were carried out in January and February 2020, as part of the “Informal Work” scenario, implemented by the Intercommunity Development Association Cluj Metropolitan Area (ADI ZMC) and part of the UIA – Cluj Future of the Work project.
As a result of this process, it came out that the lack of such minimal sanitary facilities, like the showers, has a significant impact on the locals’ capacity to obtain and keep jobs, given their impossibility to tend to their personal hygiene, which is necessary at any workplace.
Addressing this shortcoming has been pointed out as an immediate necessity in all the four communities in Pata Rât and it was singled out as the most important by the people in `Cantonului` and `Rampa`. In Cantonului area, there was only one sanitary unit, and for those in the Ramp area, the closest facility was at 800m distance.
This being the background, the COVID-19 pandemic occurred creating a public health emergency, considering that the World Health Organization warns that access to water is essential for protecting the population against the infection.
To address both challenges, through the “Informal Work” work package of UIA – Cluj Future of Work project, two mobile sanitary units were purchased, each equipped with: 3 toilets, 3 showers, 4 separate washbasins, one 300L electric boiler and one electric radiator. They are located on Cantonului Street, on a municipality-owned site. The investment was worth 68,665.18 RON.
Cluj Future of Work is a project initiated by the Urban Innovation Division of Cluj-Napoca, created by the Cluj Cultural Center in partnership with the Center for Innovation and Civic Imagination in Cluj-Napoca City Hall.
The project is co-managed by the Municipality of Cluj-Napoca and Cluj Cultural Centre in a consortium with eight other local organizations: Art and Design University of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj IT Cluster, Intercommunity Development Association Cluj Metropolitan Area (ADI ZMC), Transylvania Creative Industries Cluster, Transylvanian Furniture Cluster, Transilvania International Film Festival, Transylvania IT Cluster, ZAIN Transylvanian Creativity Festival.
