Barcelona Residence, American village, SoHo Apartments and Mediterranean Court - these are some of the ambitious names given to host of new residential developments on the outskirts of Bucharest, the capital of Romania, one of the poorest countries in Europe. Almost 30 years after the fall of the communist regime, the country is still striving toward a Western standard of life and the trappings of a capitalist economy. Over a two year period Panos photographer Petrut Calinescu, a resident of Bucharest, explored the periphery of Bucharest, watching the city grow, seemingly without any building regulations or discernible planning guidelines. Entire residential developments were rising out of the ground without access to running water and electricity, at the end of dirt roads without pavements.

The city’s periphery is a collection of microcosms, many crafted to perfection, but completely isolated from the rest of the city without public transport and lacking in basic facilities like shops and doctors’ surgeries. “I’ve been watching a generation struggle - like in a fairy tale where the protagonist has to cross frozen lands, encounter witches, kill wild beasts and befriend strange creatures - all just to reach the mystical goal of ‘living a Western lifestyle’” Petrut says.