Strategic Planning in the Framework of Metropolitan Areas in Romania: Going beyond the Requirements of the Law and Transforming it into an Effective Planning Tool

Abstract

This paper strives to discuss the role played by the newly created metropolitan areas around the seven growth poles from the perspective of the cooperation between the urban centers on the one hand and the neighboring rural communities on the other. It looks at the governance mechanisms in place at the level of the metropolitan areas and tries to assess if the cities and the neighboring communities are equal partners in these cooperation schemes. The paper also looks at one of the most important functions of these metropolitan areas - strategic planning in the form of drafting the integrated plans for urban development (IPUDs). We look at this function also from the perspective of the relations between the cities and their hinterlands. The paper has the following structure: section two briefly examines the concept of growth poles and their creation in Romania; section three looks at strategic planning as a tool for the implementation of the growth pole policy; section four presents the methodology of the study; section five details the main findings of the research, while section six briefly presents the recommendations and the conclusions. The empirical research for the study consisted in interviews with public servants working for the communities that are part of the metropolitan areas formed around the growth poles. As for the conclusions, the authors wish to emphasize that metropolitan areas should be understood in the broader context of the territorial reform.

"E-Government, Strategic Planning and Co-Production: Can Technology Promote Greater Citizen Engagement in a Rapidly Changing and Turbulent World: the University Response"

“…Citizen involvement is crucial in every step of the process to keep the focus on the needs of the people, not just the visions of technocrats. In many ways, strategic planning with concomitant community action is the foundation of co-production (Hințea, 2008;Hințea and Neamțu, 2014;Hamlin et al, 2019).…”

Integrated Management of Metropolitan Areas in Romania

“…The Strategic Framework for the Territorial Development of Romania 2030 calls for an integrated approach to the urban-rural relationship. It highlights the necessity to consolidate this relationship by approaching the development of rural areas not in opposition to the cities but in alignment with them, with particular emphasis on stimulating local partnerships and on integrated territorial planning (Hințea, Neamțu, 2014). Instead of implementing projects piecemeal, it was commonly agreed that generating synergies was far more productive.…”

“…It explains why these plans follow a similar format. In order for the IPUDs to be an effective planning instrument, their provisions need to be reflected to a certain extent in the local development strategies (Hințea, Neamțu, 2014). In practice, most ROP-financed investments were concentrated in city centres and did not help integrate larger metropolitan areas into a coherent, functional, and development-oriented urban ecosystem.…”

“…Moreover, the research conducted in communes in metropolitan associations shows that both urban and rural communities are hesitant to name spatial planning as one of the areas where cooperation can occur. They believe that spatial planning issues should be handled locally, without the interference from other communities (Hințea, Neamțu, 2014).…”