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The recent increase of regional inequalities in Europe, and in particular in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) has led to the reconsideration and revival of the “growth pole” concept in academic fields like regional economics, economic geography and spatial planning. In contrast to the classical view developed by French economists, the new policy-led approach on growth poles is emphasizing a much broader perspective. Designed for the reduction of regional inequalities, the rebirth of growth poles concept in the development planning practice triggered an important debate about the relation between spatial inequalities, economic growth and development. This article provides a critical overview and assessment of growth pole policy and spatial inequalities in Romania. The main objective is the analysis of the spatial change in the metropolitan areas of the seven growth poles by taking into consideration four groups of indicators: demographic, economic, housing and land use. The empirical results show a differentiated socio-spatial dynamic of the metropolitan areas, although being designated and treated as national growth poles. Moreover, there is no evidence for the adequateness of the growth pole spatial planning tool to its main objective: the reduction of spatial inequalities. In this case a crisis (increasing spatial inequalities and peripheralization) has not generated any transformative power in spatial planning, which rises serious doubts about the innovative capacities of the spatial development policies.

Romania has recorded a dramatic number of road traffic accidents in the last five years. The latest European documents and statistics indicate that the country has the highest number of traffic fatalities across the Member States of the European Union. The aim of the paper is twofold. First, the authors aim to analyze the spatial characteristics of traffic accidents for the period 2010-2014: spatial distribution of accidents at county level, number of vehicles involved, socio-spatial distribution of accidents, and correlation between the urbanization level and accidents. Second, the intent is to calculate various indicators expressing the severity of traffic accidents. The paper concludes with some remarks related to the consequences of road accident injuries on public health. Romania has recorded a dramatic number of road traffic accidents in the last five years. The latest European documents and statistics indicate that the country has the highest number of traffic fatalities across the Member States of the European Union. The aim of the paper is twofold. First, the authors aim to analyze the spatial characteristics of traffic accidents for the period 2010-2014: spatial distribution of accidents at county level, number of vehicles involved, socio-spatial distribution of accidents, and correlation between the urbanization level and accidents. Second, the intent is to calculate various indicators expressing the severity of traffic accidents. The paper concludes with some remarks related to the consequences of road accident injuries on public health. Romania has recorded a dramatic number of road traffic accidents in the last five years. The latest European documents and statistics indicate that the country has the highest number of traffic fatalities across the Member States of the European Union. The aim of the paper is twofold. First, the authors aim to analyze the spatial characteristics of traffic accidents for the period 2010-2014: spatial distribution of accidents at county level, number of vehicles involved, socio-spatial distribution of accidents, and correlation between the urbanization level and accidents. Second, the intent is to calculate various indicators expressing the severity of traffic accidents. The paper concludes with some remarks related to the consequences of road accident injuries on public health. Romania has recorded a dramatic number of road traffic accidents in the last five years. The latest European documents and statistics indicate that the country has the highest number of traffic fatalities across the Member States of the European Union. The aim of the paper is twofold. First, the authors aim to analyze the spatial characteristics of traffic accidents for the period 2010-2014: spatial distribution of accidents at county level, number of vehicles involved, socio-spatial distribution of accidents, and correlation between the urbanization level and accidents. Second, the intent is to calculate various indicators expressing the severity of traffic accidents. The paper concludes with some remarks related to the consequences of road accident injuries on public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our paper focuses on the spatial differentiation of economic development in Romania. We use spatial econometric methods (spatial autocorrelation) in order to determine the differentiation of the country in core regions and peripheries. The analysis is carried out on the regional spatial scale (NUTS 3 units or counties) and covers the period 2000-2011. The main results show a pronounced spatial polarization and spatial autocorrelation of economic development (proxied by GDP per capita) in Romania in some core regions (the capital Bucharest), while an extended periphery, comprising the eastern part of Transylvania, Moldova and northern Muntenia is lagging behind. The analysis of the multidimensional development (Human Development Index) has revealed the existence of some regional polarizing centres (Ia?i, Constan?a), while the spatial configuration of cores and peripheries shows a different picture: beside the capital region, there is a second core area in the central part of Transylvania, while the eastern periphery is centred on the county Brăila. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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.