%0 Journal Article %T Territorial Disparities in the Population Dynamics. Comparative Analysis Between Bucharest-Ploie ti Corridor and Bucharest-Pite ti Corridor %A FLORENTINA ION %A PETRONELA NOV£¿CESCU %J Romanian Review of Regional Studies %D 2012 %I Cluj University Press %X The present paper is a comparative analysis of territorial disparities in the population dynamics of the settlements along two corridors of major national importance. The objective is to prove that a key corridor starting in the capital city of a country has both positive and negative effects on the network of settlements it goes through. The capital influence is widely felt in both areas studied, nevertheless there are differences which were analysed starting from the premise that the borders of Bucharest metropolitan area are currently up to 50 km around the capital and that the area of influence is continuously expanding territorially. These differences are generated by the fact that although Bucharest is a major pole of social-economic phenomena, its influence on the settlements in the neighbouring area varies in intensity because urbanisation, development and modernisation are intense, but within a limited area. The existence of the two corridors had an impact upon the configuration of localities causing the extension of the built-up areas in the localities close to the roadway, especially parallel to it. This is particularly related, but it is not limited to the increase in the supply of/demand for land plots earmarked for building dwellings of a higher standard ¨C main or secondary residences. The evolution of the population dynamics of the settlements alongside the two corridors is closely related to the social-economic changes occurred in the area influenced by the three cities (Bucharest, Ploie ti and Pite ti) and to the intensification of urbanisation. %K Net migration rate %K Natural growth %K Total balance %K Corridor %K Rural settlements %U http://rrrs.reviste.ubbcluj.ro/arhive/Artpdf/v8n12012/RRRS801201205.pdf