95 percent of Bucharest residents changed their lifestyle during the pandemic: study

95 percent of Bucharest residents have changed their lifestyle and perspectives on housing quality in the last year and a half, as a result of the pandemic, according to a study commissioned by Impact Developer & Contractor. For the inhabitants of the Capital, peace, outdoor green space and air quality are the most important aspects for the harmony of the home during the pandemic.

Conducted on a sample of 619 Bucharest residents, divided into inhabitants of various neighborhoods and Greenfield Baneasa residents, the district developed by Impact Developer & Contractor in the north of the capital, the study follows the perspectives on the quality of life during the pandemic and the aspects that contribute to the well-being of the inhabitants.

One of the conclusions of the study is that the pandemic has affected the lifestyle and housing preferences among Bucharest residents. In the last year and a half 47 percent of the Bucharest residents who do not live in Greenfield Baneasa would have opted to live in a reasidential area near a forest in order to benefit from peace, green spaces and fresh air.  Just 3 out of 10 Bucharest residents would have chosen to live in the same habitation. For a higher level of comfort, 9 out of 10 Bucharest residents would have wanted a larger home, preferably a house or an apartment with private garden.

During the pandemic, Greenfield Baneasa residents considered as main advantages of the neigborhood the possibility to get outside to fresh air, the quietness, the lifestyle and the communication with neighbors. Due to the district’s location, the residents have felt less exposed to the COVID-19 risks, less limited in terms of options to get outside to fresh air, and less bored. Alongside these benefits, the quality of the house, together with the outdoor green space, including the view from the home, represented the most important housing criterion for a third of Greenfield Baneasa residents.

The pandemic has also affected the professional life of the Bucharest inhabitants. From the beginning of the pandemic to date, about 54 percent of Greenfield Baneasa residents have worked and continue to work mainly from home, while 37 percent of Greenfield non-residents have worked from home. The living conditions within Greenfield Baneasa facilitated this kind of working, 66 percent of its residents appreciating the possibility to work undisturbed.

The pandemic emphasised the need to be a part of a community. Thus the most important criterion Bucharest residents take into consideration for a future home is the quality of neighbors, residents of the district. The next criterion is the level of pollution, as Bucharest residents wish to live in an unpolluted area. At this moment, 61 percent of the Bucharest residents who do not live in Greenfield Baneasa are dissatisfied with the air quality.

In the following 2 years, about 3 out of 10 Bucharest inhabitants, Greenfield Baneasa non-residents intent to move in a new home. Green space (yard/balcony/proximity) and a larger surface are the main housing criteria for the new living place. Most of the Bucharest residents would opt for a 3-room apartment in a(n) area/district with easy access by car and available parking places.