GROWTH AND DECLINE OF URBAN AREAS IN ROMANIA

The urbanisation process in Romania followed a variable growth trajectory (that intensified), stagnation and, in the last period, a slightly decreasing trend. Thus, the years between the sixties to the nineties were characterised by marked development, concomitantly with population increase in small- and medium-sized towns. After the year 1990, the developments were different from one urban area to another: some succeeded in adjusting quicker to the new conditions; others were overwhelmed by the new town status. Currently, they are facing a series of problems triggered both by internal factors (urban agglomeration, pollution, built-environment deterioration, decrease in living standards quality, etc.), and external ones (EU integration, globalisation, financial crisis, etc.).Currently, urban areas draw increasingly more attention due to their important potential and to the role played in the current integration and economicand social cohesion process. The present article intends to capture the urbanisation process evolution in Romania and to identify current difficulties and opportunities confronting these areas.