ROMANIAN FUNCTIONAL URBAN AREAS: BETWEEN POLARIZATION

AND SPATIAL RESILIENCE

Alexandru Bnic, Researcher, Ph.D,

Romanian Academy - Iai Branch,
Romania
alexandrubanica@yahoo.com

Prof. Ionel Muntele, Researcher, Ph.D,

Romanian Academy - Iai Branch,
Al. I. Cuza University Iai, Romania
imuntele@yahoo.fr.

4th Global Forum on Urban Resilience & Adaptation

Bonn, Germany 31 May 2 June 2013

I. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
I.1. MAIN CONCEPTS
Resilience

sometimes seen as a metaphor (Pendall et al., 2008) or a general framework

(Folke, 2006; Ahern, 2011), it should also be a tool for integrated planning of
complex spatial systems such as cities and their polarized areas

Spatial resilience

Resilience capacity

refers to the relation between spatial

variation of certain relevant variables inside
and outside the system of interest and the
resilience of that system across multiple
spatial and temporal scales (Cumming, 2011)

Spatial resilience capacity

not focused on a certain disaster, but on the

general ability to resist shocks as some () [units]
are structurally more prepared than others, and
have greater capacity to bounce back in the wake
of a stress (Kathryn Foster, Dir., UB Regional
Institute).

the differentiated and discriminatory competence of territories to

respond, recover, cope, adapt and even develop when facing an
unexpected, sudden perturbation or stressor.

Theoretical functional urban areas The urban chore and the surrounding territory (rural and urban)
(metropolitan areas in broad sense) that is directly influenced by it.
Partially synonyms

Metropolitan districts Metropolitan statistical areas Chore based statistical areas

Larger Urban Zones

Bassin demploi

Functional urban areas

Urban and peri-urban areas

Metropolitan regions

RESILIENCE CAPACITY OF (ROMANIAN) FUNCTIONAL URBAN AREAS

I.2. FRAMEWORK
OF WHOM?

TO WHAT?

HOW?

Hypothesis

A harmonious relation between the city and the polarized territory reduces
spatial disparities and increases resilience capacity.

II. OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY

II.1. OBJECTIVES
O1 To test an integrated spatial resilience capacity index (SRCI) applicable to
Romanian realities by adapting the existing methodologies
O2 To assess the spatial similarities and the disparities at different scales in
order to better understand both the capacity of studied units to adapt and their
ability to become poles of regional stability and development

Bucharest city functional area

Iai city functional area

(Source: Google Earth, 2013)

II. OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY

II.2. METHODOLOGY
A. Delimitation of study areas:
>50000 inhabitants (at least once in their recent history) + spatial equity principle;
a road distance of max. 20 km (from the edge of the chore-city) allowing close socioeconomic relations (commuting, daily services, ex-urban activities of the city).
B. Index construction
12 indicators (aggregated from local level to metropolitan level) scaled by using MinMax rescaling scheme to create a homogenous dataset;
Principal component analysis for weighting the indicators and grouping them in three
categories; some initial indicators (environmental) eliminated (no relevance for the
model as hardly correlated to any other indicator);
Final Z Scores of the three aggregated indicators (for each category) and of the final
index -spatial resilience capacity index (SRCI). A correlation matrix was obtained in
order to study their relation;
Mapping the SRCI in order to compare:

functional urban areas (metropolitan areas);

metropolitan areas and non-metropolitan areas;

urban metropolitan areas/rural metropolitan areas/urban non-metropolitan

areas/rural non-metropolitan areas.

II.2.A. Delineation of studied areas

METROPOLITAN AREAS

(official) voluntary associations/partnerships

(theoretical) cities functional area

II.2.B. Index construction

MEASURING RESILIENCE. FROM INDICATORS TO INDEX

(Bnic, Muntele, 2013)

II.2.B. Index construction

SPATIAL RESILIENCE CAPACITY INDEX

(Bnic, Muntele, 2013)

III. RESULTS

SPATIAL RESILIENCE CAPACITY INDEX (SRCI). URBAN FUNCTIONAL AREAS

III. RESULTS

SPATIAL RESILIENCE CAPACITY INDEX (SRCI). METROPOLITAN

AND NON-METROPOLITAN AREAS

III. RESULTS

SRCI. METROPOLITAN - NON-METROPOLITAN, URBAN RURAL AREAS

IV. CONCLUSIONS

SRCI - an adaptation of RCI to Romanian realities - spatially integrates the main urban
poles to the surrounding area (hinterland) by taking into account the local, regional
and national processes and outcomes that enforce or diminish resilience;

a peripheral country whose segregated territory shows a clear western orientation,

but also the lack of coherent regional strategies which decreases the overall
resilience capacity;

needed integration of resilience within spatial planning policies taking into account
the context at local (urban-rural systems) and regional scale (relations between cities,
fractures or complementarily between metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas);

metropolitan areas that became regional development poles benefit from

investments, innovation, diversified economy, finances, high skilled human
resources, infrastructure etc. and adapt easier to present globalized challenges;

IV. CONCLUSIONS

the direct influence of a city is not a guarantee for a clean environment, a sound
community, a healthy economic development or a high resilience capacity;

a high resilience capacity does not mean that an urban region/metropolitan area will
successfully manage any crises it faces, but it is a premise that it might.

Future developments
the reiteration of SRCI: revising the 12 indicators, introducing others:
a better integration of indicators capturing environmental or geographic factors
and governance is needed in order to better cover these dimensions of spatial
resilience;

the assessment of long term regional trends in resilience capacity of urban functional
areas.