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The town of Predeal is the highest altitude urban settlement in the Romanian Carpathians (975–1060 m) and is a famous regional skiing resort. Recent urban extension of the settlement on to areas previously covered by landslides represents a key issue and potential hazard for future urban development. In order to provide data for the urban planning process, a landslide susceptibility assessment was performed. The ‘Romanian methodology for landslide susceptibility assessment’, an expert-based method, was integrated with other digital data available. Landslide susceptibility classes were defined on a probabilistic scale adapted according to the threshold for triggering landslides. Urban development issues were approached as an association between the landslide susceptibility map (to be utilised by local authorities) and recent changes to the built environment. Housing has been extended onto areas previously affected by landslides due to a real-estate boom. An urban development scenario, focused on potential forest stand clearance, within a representative urban district was used to demonstrate the consequences of landslides to local authorities.

Please click here to download the map associated with this article. The paper proposes a new type of geomorphic map, a selective fusion of geomorphic data with land engineering and transport infrastructure features at the detailed scale of 1:5,000. The map focuses on the interaction between landforms, morphodynamics and transport infrastructure, having as interface the land engineering works. The “geomorphotechnical map” as it was named was developed in a digital format as a GIS project for the Prahova River Defile (Curvature Carpathians, Romania), a sector along the main transcarpathian route which links Bucharest with Brasov and Transylvania. Geomorphic data was collected through detailed field mapping, during summer and autumn periods, together with GPS surveying. The technical infrastructure elements were located also using orthophotos from different time periods. The map reflects the main favourable geomorphic conditions (and limitations) for the improvement of a difficult sector along the B...

The Iezer Mountains are part of the Southern Carpathians in Romania; the elevation range spans over 1800 m, with the highest peak at 2470 m. In recent years, the vegetation in this montane landscape has undergone various changes. The aim of the present analysis is to test whether the evolution of vegetation zones can be modeled using remote sensing data and official forestry cadastre data, in correlation with climatic data for the same period. Our analysis used the change detection procedure (image difference) with 2 LANDSAT TM/ETM+ subscenes for the summers of 1986 and 2002. Field research (2001–2005) helped us to validate thematic classification of the altitudinal zones. The change detection image showed general trends: an increase in timberline elevation, a gradual replacement of coniferous forests by mixed forests, and a natural regeneration of beech trees on mountain slopes.

The Carpathian and Subcarpathian towns in Romania developed under different geographical and historical conditions. Their built-up areas cover mainly slopes and sometimes terraces and higher floodplains. Some towns are old (mainly since the 14–16th centuries) but there are also newer settlements (since the 19th and even the last century). Mass movements and mainly landslides, are active morphodynamic features of the built-up areas. Since the liberalization of the immobiliary market they became important for the urban planning projects as well as for local people and the immobiliary sector. The paper we propose compares the cartographic results obtained within two case studies, featuring middle size and small towns, with two different geomorphic conditions: Predeal, a traditional mountain resort and Orsova, an entirely new rebuilt town, upstream from the Iron Gates Dam, on the Danube River in Banat Mountains. The maps were created using two different methods for landslide susceptibility assessment: probabilistic (Dempster-Shafer) and multidimensional analysis (Principal Components Analysis with logistic regression). For each town both methods were applied and the results were compared. In both cases the methods spatially delineated approximately the same areas as susceptible to landslides but with different susceptibility levels.

The evolution of Bucharest during the last 40 years showed spectacular changes, as a result of the socialist urban policy. The paper investigates the leading transformation of the urban structures, comparing declassified intelligence imagery (2002) CORONA KH 7 (0.60-1.20 m spatial resolution) from 1966 and IKONOS pansharpened image from 2002 (1 m spatial resolution). We tried to use an image segmentation algorithm to automatically classify the changes in urban structures. Poor results were obtained as a result of the image geometry, altered radiometry and blur "band stripes" induced by the scanning process of the original film. Imagery interpretation and field observations were applied on three case studies: Palace of Parliament, the so called "People's House", Titan district, Piata Sudului-Berceni area, superposing on the most transformed areas. A large area of old houses disappeared especially on the place of the huge Palace of Parliament where half of the historical centre was replaced by block of flats, some old churches disappeared or moved etc. Big block of flats quarters appeared on fallow ground to the edge of Bucharest, some of them, like Titan district, had replaced the old small houses districts.