A loosing combination for romanian cities? Shrinking population and urban sprawl
A loosing combination for romanian cities? Shrinking population and urban sprawl

Author(s): Alina Băileşteanu
Subject(s): Human Geography, Regional Geography
Published by: INCD URBAN-INCERC
Keywords: challenges; integrated; sustainable; polycentric; urban regeneration
Summary/Abstract: Urban development represents a key element of the sustainable economic development in all the countries. The cities through concentration of the people, services and business are driven forces for competitiveness of the countries. More than 70% of the EU population lives in urban areas, urban areas generate more than 67% of EU GDP, cities are territories that focuses most jobs, most economic and higher education institutions can be found in these areas which also provides access to services and trade. But also, in urban areas - unemployment, social segregation, environmental or mobility (congestion) are emphasized. According to the 2007 report of UNFPA, entitled "Urbanization, urban expansion potential", the phenomenon of urbanization will be the most important factor influencing development in the 21st century. Apparently the Romanian cities are facing similar problems as the Western European cities: decay of inner urban space and deterioration in the social, economic, political and physical substance of the city. In spite of the apparent similarity in the forms of manifestation of these phenomena, their substance is different.After emerging the communism era, Romania had to tackle and overcome all sorts of disparities and to reconnect to current practices and policies developed in Western European countries.

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