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Az írásban a fenntartható fejlődéssel foglalkozunk, kiemelten a pénzügyi kockázat perspektívájából, olyan mérési és módszertani kérdésekre is fókuszálva, mint a fenntartható fejlődési célok (FFC) térbeli lokalizációja. Pontosabban a tanulmány célja az Egyesült Nemzetek Szervezete (ENSZ) által meghatározott 17 fenntartható fejlődési cél („Sustainable Development Goals”) európai recepciójának és alkalmazásának bemutatása, valamint az egyes célok térbeli lokalizációjának meghatározása helyi szinten. Foglalkozunk továbbá a fenntartható fejlődés céljainak mérésével, tekintettel arra, hogy jól működő, méréseken alapuló kockázatfelmérés nélkül megvalósíthatatlanok a fenntartható fejlődésre épülő gazdasági politika célkitűzései. A mérések és az FFC-k térbeli lokalizációjának helyi szintjét Románia példáján mutatjuk be egy összetett, 90 mutatóból álló indikátorrendszer segítségével, sajátos adatforrás- és módszerkombinációval, ahol fontos szerepet kap a földmegfigyelési módszerek és a földrajzi információs rendszerek (GIS) alkalmazása. Az eredmények azt mutatják, hogy a vizsgálatainkban használt módszertan jól alkalmazható az FFC-k térbeli lokalizációjára és a fenntarthatósági indexek kiszámítására. Az utóbbiak legmagasabb értékei, tehát a legalacsonyabb banki kockázatok – néhány városközeli községtől eltekintve – nagy és közepes méretű városokban jelentkeznek.

This study examines sustainable development from the perspective of financial risks, focusing on measurement issues, like the spatial localization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). More exactly, the goal of the study is to present the European reception and implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations, and to determine the spatial localization of the SDGs at local level. Furthermore, it addresses the measurement of the sustainable development goals, because a measurement-based risk assessment plays a key role in the successful implementation of sustainable development based economic policy. As a case study for the measurement and localization of the SDGs, we will use the case of Romania, deploying a set of 90 indicators with a data source and method-mix, where Earth Observations and Geographical Information Systems play an important role. The results show that the methodology used in our studies can be applied with good results in the spatial localisation and the measurement of the sustainability indices. The latter register the highest scores, and therefore the lowest associated banking risks – with the exception of a few peri-urban communities – in large and medium sized cities.

In order to measure progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, 169 targets have been approved globally. Even though interest in implementing these goals is high, many states have not yet established a set of subnational indicators to measure the implementation of the SDGs and have not completed their own assessment of progress in achieving these global goals. This study aims to measure the progress toward achieving the SDG at local and regional level in Romania by calculating the SDG Index. For the calculation of the SDG Index at subnational level, we propose an integrated approach based on 90 indicators, stored and processed in a PostgreSQL object‐relational database. The results show the concentration of the highest performances of sustainable development in some specific geographical areas. The rural areas and the extended peripheral regions in the eastern and southern part of the country are the poorest performers.

A tanulmányban a fenntartható fejlődés témakörével foglalkozunk, kiemelten területfejlesztési perspektívából, ugyanakkor mérési és módszertani kérdésekre is fókuszálva. A tanulmány célja bemutatni a fenntartható fejlődés fogalmának útját egy romantikus-derűs és naivnak tűnő metaforától – némileg meglepő módon – az európai kontinens meghatározó területfejlesztési paradigmájáig. A szintézis jellegű írásunk nemzetközi, globális szintről halad az európai-, majd a nemzeti-, és lokális szint irányába, Románia példáján. A jórészt ismert nemzetközi irodalom mellett, fölhasználjuk azokat a személyes tapasztalatokat, amelyek az elmúlt időszakban gyűltek össze a szerző különböző szakmai szerepvállalásából adódóan: a téma empirikus vizsgálatával foglalkozó komplex kutatás szakmai koordinátoraként, a fenntartható fejlődési képzések szakmai mentoraként, valamint a Romániai Fenntartható Fejlődési Tanács tagjaként. A tanulmányban részletesen kitérünk a fenntartható fejlődés céljainak mérési részleteire, tekintettel arra, hogy meggyőződésünk szerint, jól működő, méréseken alapuló monitoring rendszer nélkül a fenntartható fejlődés programjai alkalmazhatatlanok

Currently, land cover changes occur in wood-pastures all over Europe driven by abandonment of traditional farming, as well as by management and policy changes. Based on reviewing of official docume...

In recent decades, innovation research has played an important role in exploring the drivers of local and regional economic development. Nowadays, it is part of the generally accepted scientific canon that various forms of innovation (technological, business and social innovation) play a defining role in the economic development and competitiveness of cities, regions and countries. The context above points out that innovation is an important factor in the spatiality of society, but at the same time geography, more precisely geographical distance or proximity, is a determining element of innovation. In the present study, we provide an overview of the latest theoretical and empirical research developments in the “geography of innovation”, more precisely in the “geography of social innovation”, with application in Hungary. Keywords: social innovation, social innovation geography, regional development, geographical proximity

Measuring development is a long-standing challenge in the social sciences. Although multidimensional and multivariate approaches to development present several conceptual and/or methodological problems, some studies have pointed out that the unidimensional view of economic progress has failed on a large scale. The main purpose of our article is to elaborate a multidimensional composite index called the PEESH (population, economic, education, social, and health) Development Index, for measuring socio-economic development in Romania with a territorial profile. The PEESH DI index presented in this paper contains five sub-dimensions: population dynamics, economy and labor force, education, social conditions and housing, and health and life conditions, including 22 core indicators. The components of the resulting multidimensional index were weighted using factor analysis and then aggregated transversely into a composite index. Our results show that the differentiated increase of the indicators composing the PEESH DI resulted in a certain restructuring of the development hierarchy of Romania’s counties between 2000 and 2019. These empirical facts strengthen the idea that development cannot be reduced to only economic growth, it comprises an important social dimension as well. Finally, we have strongly argued in this paper that it is time to switch from a single-sided and reductionist perspective of the measurement of regional disparities, within the framework of the Cohesion Policy in the European Union, to a wider and multidimensional perspective, reflecting the complex character of the development process.

Over the last two decades, Romania has undergone strong economic growth, catching up to advanced economies and producing one of the best economic performances in the world. Along with these positive changes, industrial product diversification has increased through expanded foreign economic relations, with all of these supporting the complexity of economic activities. Even though there is a world ranking of countries showing the highest level of economic complexity, there is no information about regional contributions to the overall score in Romania. This paper fills this gap by measuring the economic complexity of Romania’s subnational areas (counties) in the last ten years. To calculate the Economic Complexity Index (ECI) at a regional level, 615 economic activities (four-digit classes according to the NACE classification) were taken into consideration, grouped into 68 cluster categories. The results show that significant changes in economic complexity have mainly occurred in less developed areas, the upper- and middle-ranked counties’ positions being relatively stable. Furthermore, we examined the impact of complexity on growth and convergence, finding that the ECI index is a good predictor both for future economic growth as well as for the evolution of income inequalities.

This paper critically analysis the definition of smart specialisation priority areas of Romanian less developed regions, aiming to identify weaknesses in policy design that according to existing theories characterise such regions. Besides an empirical contribution to the literature, findings also have a practical relevance. They can be used by regions to redesign strategies in their preparation for the absorption of Cohesion Policy funds between 2021 and 2027. While in the definition of priority areas we could depict resemblance with the general practice presented in the literature, there are also shortcomings reported to the evaluation framework proposed in this paper based on official methodological and original theoretical aspects. These mainly refer to a less targeted approach within priorities, overlapping between priorities and horizontal character of vertically defined priorities. However, under these aspects, regional strategies present a high level of heterogeneity; thus, responsible institutions will need to invest different time and effort to revise policy documents.

The context and background of this study are based on the growing role of policy-driven renewable energy sources in improving energy security, protecting the climate, and encouraging economic development. In many cases, these high expectations are undermined by the lack of an integrated methodology for the measurement of renewable energy potential. Therefore, we assumed as the main hypothesis, the possibility of developing a complex and integrated evaluation methodology for renewable energy potential. Accordingly, we employed evaluation methods based on mapping techniques, simulation software for wind farms, and the analytical tools offered by the Geographical Information System. The main novelty of this study is related to the integration of three renewable energy sources (biomass, solar, and wind) and the respective measurement of their total renewable energy potential. The main results of the study consist of the estimation of three main renewable energy sources—solar, wind, and biomass energy—and the generation of maps showing the potential for solar, wind, and integrated biomass energy at a high spatial resolution. In addition, we have measured and mapped the total renewable energy potential available for supplying the local energy demand. The renewable energy potential maps, combined with a multidimensional index expressing the development level of localities, are good predictors of appropriate locations for the development of renewable energy source-based facilities. The study concludes with recommendations towards the use of the renewable energy potential maps as criteria for project allocation in future for renewable-based rural development, in order to achieve a more balanced regional development.

As part of a broader Europeanisation process, the general guidelines and principles of European spatial planning documents have been uncritically adopted in the Romanian spatial development system during the last two decades. One of them is related to the concept of polycentric development, translated in the Romanian planning system through the selection and development of growth poles. The main aim of this chapter is to evaluate the process and outcome of establishing urban growth poles as key elements of the new regional policy in Romania. In particular, the chapter addresses the question whether the high prioritisation of urban growth poles has reduced the level of regional disparities in Romania, or, in contrast, whether it has contributed to an increase of regional disparities. The chapter highlights the failure of regional policy in achieving its essential objective: the reduction of internal regional disparities in the long term. Even though the capital city, Bucharest, was excluded from the analysis and thus the level of disparities is underestimated, the authors found that disparities among cities and counties reduced during the programming period 2007–2013 and started to increase again as soon as the programme ended.

The study examines the spatial and economic characteristics of commuting to work in one of the most dynamic areas of Romania, Cluj County. Based on the 2011 census data, the study reveals a strong connection between accessibility and commuting intensity, while the urban network determines the spatial orientation of the dominant commuting flows. However, we found no significant relation between dynamic economic performance and commuting intensity

Night-time lights satellite images provide a new opportunity to measure regional inequality in real-time by developing the Night Light Development Index (NLDI). The NLDI was extracted using the Gini coefficient approach based on population and night light spatial distribution in Romania. Night-time light data were calculated using a grid with a 0.15 km2 area, based on Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) /Operational Linescan System (OLS satellite imagery for the 1992–2013 period and based on the National Polar-orbiting Partnership–Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (NPP-VIIRS) satellite imagery for the 2014–2018 period. Two population density grids were created at the level of equal cells (0.15 km2) using ArcGIS and PostgreSQL software, and census data from 1992 and 2011. Subsequently, based on this data and using the Gini index approach, the Night Light Development Index (NLDI) was calculated within the MATLAB software. The NLDI was obtained for 42 administrative counties (nomenclature of territorial units for statistics level 3 (NUTS-3 units)) for the 1992–2018 period. The statistical relationship between the NLDI and the socio-economic, demographic, and geographic variables highlighted a strong indirect relationship with local tax income and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. The polynomial model proved to be better in estimating income based on the NLDI and R2 coefficients showed a significant improvement in total variation explained compared to the linear regression model. The NLDI calculated on the basis of night-time lights satellite images proved to be a good proxy for measuring regional inequalities. Therefore, it can play a crucial role in monitoring the progress made in the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 10 (reduced inequalities).

This chapter deals with globalized urban space and focuses on processes of post-socialist urban transformation in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). It presents a general geographical perspective on urban processes and transformations on a global scale. The chapter shows that both world cities and capital cities have played a key role in the post-socialist transformation in CEE. It addresses the special case of CEE cities and follows the same thematic sequence as the first: the role of capital cities in the post-socialist transition, the economic and social transformation of cities with a focus on suburbanization and urban sprawl, and the features of urban policy in CEE. Generally, there are two ways to design local responses to the changing economic, social and political environment. The first is represented by urban policy developed by local government authorities, and the second is represented by national policies designed for urban areas.

Mobility practices have changed dramatically in Romanian towns over the last 25 years, following the collapse of socialist mobility restrictions. Urban areas like Cluj-Napoca are facing both increasing immigration and car mobility, and therefore increasing levels of road traffic crashes. The analysis of traffic crashes is one of the most important elements for improving the road safety policy. This paper is divided in two parts. In the first one, the authors focus on identifying the traffic crash hotspots along the street network, while in the second part they discuss the social background of road traffic crash occurrence. The first step in analyzing traffic crashes is to determine crash hotspots. A four-year record (2010-2013) provided by the Traffic Department of the General Inspectorate of Romanian Police (GIRPTD) was used. As a method of hotspot determination, the Kernel Density Estimation tool was employed, in the frame of the spatial analysis along network (SANET). The outcome was the hotspot map of traffic crashes in Cluj-Napoca. The results have revealed 4 categories of street segments: not-dangerous, low-dangerous, medium-dangerous and high-dangerous. Based on this classification, at least 4 dangerous areas were identified, located at the city entrances-exits (in the West, North-West and East) and the city center (the most dangerous zone). The second part of the paper focuses on social groups involved in car crashes. The following are considered: age, gender and blood alcohol concentration of the person (driver or pedestrian) found guilty for every individual crash.

A tanulmányban nyomon követtük a földrajzi térkoncepciók filozófiába visszanyúló szálait, különösen rámutatva azokra a téves interpretációkra (különösen Wolff és Hettner), amelyek során az abszolút térfogalom domináns pozicióba került. Érdekes módon ezen téves interpretációk csupán a modern geográfia utolsó két évtizedében tudatosultak erőteljesen, elsősorban a kritikai geográfia és az „új geográfiák" (modern kulturális geográfia és modern regionális geográfia) hatására. Bizonyos szociális elméletekre támaszkodva (marxizmus, Giddens integratív elmélete) az abszolút álláspont a földrajzi térről erősen relativizálódott: a tér médiuma és ugyanakkor terméke a cselekvésnek és a társadalmi kapcsolatoknak. Ez a dualista tér–idő strukturálás annyira összefogja a szociális és térstruktúrákat, hogy az utóbbiak a társadalmi kapcsolatok és struktúrák anyagi formái lesznek. Ennek megfelelően a társadalom a térben válik konkrétummá, a tér maga pedig egy ideológiai és politikai létesítmény. Meg kell jegyeznünk, hogy az objektivitást nem lehet érvényesíteni a tér problémáiban, a tér még mindig szubjektív fogalom marad. Lényeges különbséget kell tennünk a társadalom térkonstrukciói és a természet térkonstrukciói között. Míg az első szubjektumcentrikus és egy társadalomcentrikus geográfia kutatási tárgyát képezheti, addig a második objektumcentrikus és elsősorban a mennyiségi, „erős tudományok", azaz a természettudományok keretében releváns kutatási tárgy. Az abszolút tér kompetenciái az anyagi világban találhatók, míg a térbeliség a tudat vagy az interszubjektíven létrejött társadalmi világ egyik tartozéka.

The territorial disparities of Romania, as well as of other states, are a fundamental characteristic of the society's spatiality, with the changes thereof being conditional upon multiple factors. The economy and the society are unequally distributed spatially, this phenomenon being also accentuated by the regional and local specificities and by the different spatial way of manifestation of the natural, cultural economic and social factors. The unequal spatial distribution of the economic activities, transport infrastructures, settlements and population imprints paths of territorial development, sometimes strongly differentiated locally and regionally. Further on, we shall focus on the analysis of the territorial disparities in Romania, from geographic and economic perspectives.

A mechanical spring-block model is used for realizing an objective space partition of settlements from a geographic territory in region-like structures. The method is based on the relaxation-dynamics of the spring-block system and reveals in a hierarchical manner region-like entities at different spatial scales. It takes into account in an elegant manner both the spatiality of the elements and the connectivity relations among them. Spatiality is taken into account by using the geographic coordinates of the settlements, and by detecting the neighbors with the help of a Delaunay triangulation. Connectivity between neighboring settlements are quantified using a Pearson-like correlation for the relative variation of a relevant socio-economic parameter (population size, GDP, tax payed per inhabitant, etc.). The method is implemented in an interactive JAVA application and it is applied with success for an artificially generated society and for the case of USA, Hungary and Transylvania.