Titus Bazac

This study explores the potential for integrating historical scientific heritage into urban landscapes by analyzing online search behavior related to the Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy (AIRA) park in Bucharest and its association with the adjacent Carol I Park. Comparative literature has shown that public interest in such heritage sites enhances urban attractiveness and supports sustainable development strategies. Accordingly, this research adopts a cultural-ecosystem analysis approach and employs a digital methodology to assess the online visibility and user interest profile of the AIRA park. Boolean search strategies were used to construct a comprehensive keyword database – including terms such as “Vila Bosianu” (Bosianu House), “Institutul Astronomic” (Astronomical Institute), and “Observatorul Astronomic Bucures, ti” (Bucharest Astronomical Observatory) – which was then expanded with related semantic variants using the GetKeywords and Google Ads platforms. The resulting metrics, processed and visualized in Microsoft Excel, provide an in-depth “X-ay” of current online searches conducted in Romanian and from within Romania via the Google search engine, focusing on these cultural-scientific landmarks. The analysis reveals a semantic association between the scientific and cultural objectives of the two parks – Carol I and AIRA – as well as a complementarity in their historical dimensions. Despite its limited public access due to its role as a scientific research site, the AIRA park generates significant online interest, comparable to that of some established attractions within Carol I Park. These findings suggest that bridging the current administrative and functional discontinuities between the AIRA and Carol I parks could foster a unified cultural hub, contributing to better preservation and valorization of cultural heritage, enhanced public access, and the reinforcement of Bucharest’s urban identity. By providing empirical data on users’ online search behavior, this research contributes to the strategic discourse on urban modernization and cultural integration. Furthermore, its innovative methodology advances socio-cultural territorial analysis and offers a robust framework for assessing the interplay between digital public engagement and urban heritage.

Urban historical parks represent important cultural touristic objectives that are part of a city’s own identity. However, currently, the image of these areas in the eyes of contemporary citizens does not always meet their needs and expectations. The purpose of this study is to reveal and evaluate the citizens’ perception level of a multi-objective historical park located in Bucharest, Romania—the Carol I Park. Using software methodology, we managed to determine, online and offline, the degree of public knowledge and interest for this specific urban area and, subsequently, the probability of civic interaction with it. For this, an algorithm was created by deconstructing user searches consisting of factual terms and their semantic derivatives. The search phrases were then run on the GetKeywords and Google Ads platforms, two professional software products mainly used in online advertising, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), research and audience analysis. Various numerical data were obtained, reflecting the structure of Romanian searches performed by users of the Google search engine, which were taxonomically ranked, graphically modeled, then construed and discussed. Therefore, the obtained analysis results can become an indicative tool for the direction to follow in establishing a sustainable managerial strategy that can lead to a viable exploitation and capitalization strategy of that area.