The Strategic Concept of Territorial Development ROMANIA 2030
Romania - a competitive, balanced and prosperous country
Description.
The Strategic Concept of Territorial Development Romania 2030 (SCTDR)
is a national strategic document regarding a sustainable and integrated territorial
development for Romania. It was conceived by the Romanian Ministry for Regional
Development and Tourism in 2008, as a national policy framework for the
territorial development in Romania. The document is a part of the reforming
process engaged in the Romanian planning system in 2005, as required in the
national implementation plan for the Lisbon strategy.
Importance of SCTDR:
Integrative approach. The document is intended to be a reformed,
integrated and multiscale approach of the Romanian development policy, proposing
solutions adapted to local/regional needs but also correlated to the present European
territorial policy and practices. Policentricity represents a major direction of this
strategy, as a solution for a balanced development at different spatial scales.
Territorial dimension. The SCTDR is focused on territorial approaches,
establishing the main orientations for a long and medium term development, at
regional, interregional and national scale. First, the strategy imagines the future
development of the national territory at multiple levels: world, continent, European
Union, regions and local level. Furthermore, specific approaches are associated with
different types of territories: mountain areas, hydrographical basins, costal and
insular areas, industrial areas, protected areas etc.
Supporting legislative framework. A legislative framework has been
partially built, in relation with this strategy, in order to facilitate the implementation
of SCTDR and the absorption of European funds.
Content.
1. The challenges and potential of Romania in the international context
are analyzed on multiple dimensions (economic development, demography, rural
development and environment quality), using results (maps and indicators) from
ESPON 2006 projects: ESPON 3.4.1., ESPON 111, ESPON 1.2.1., ESPON 3.2.)
and
2. Vision, mission and principles.
The development vision of SCTDR is to make Romania “a dynamic,
competitive and prosperous country”, with an active role in Central and SouthEastern Europe.
Mission: creation of spatial structures adapted to the national resources and
the geographical position, in order to increase the population’s standard of living to
the E.U. average.
General principles: SCTDR is correlated with the main European strategic
Integrated
approach
Territorial
dimension
Results of
ESPON 2006
planning documents: European Spatial Development Perspective (1999), Guiding
Principles for Sustainable Spatial Development of the European Continent (2000),
the Lisbon /Gothenburg Strategy (2004), Territorial Agenda of the European Union
(2007) and Leipzig Charter on Sustainable European Cities (2007). SCTDR is also
based on specific principles such as: sustainable territorial development, balanced
and harmonious development, territorial partnership, preservation and specificity
and integrated strategic planning.
3. Strategic concept – objectives and guiding lines.
General objective of SCTDR: integrating Romania in the E.U. space by
affirming a regional-continental identity and increasing the territorial cohesion and
sustainable development.
Strategic objectives of SCTDR:
1.
Capitalizing peripherality position by developing Romania’s role as
connector at continental and inter-continental scale. The main solution
proposed is the development of major communication axes aiming to better
integrate Romania in the European territory: the Latin axis (to Spain, via
Italy), the Danube – Rhine, the Balkan, the Baltic Sea-Black Sea axis, the
Pentagon – Republic of Moldova – Ukraine axis and the Black sea arch.
Territorial
dimension
Integrated
capitalization
and
conservation
Integration in
European
networks.
Local and
regional
integrated
actions
2.
3.
Regional
partnership
Connecting Romania to the European network of spatial development
corridors and poles should be achieved by the improvement of the transport
Integrated
infrastructure, polycentric development and support of local partnerships
development
(metropolitan areas, functional urban areas, cross-border polycentric areas).
strategies
Structuring and developing a balanced network of urban settlements. The
structuring and consolidation of urban development poles is intended to
support the local and regional partnerships, to create development axis and European
local urban poles, to diversify the economic profile of small and medium and regional
cities and to increase the continental role of gate-cities. An integrated integration.
approach is recommended for the structuring of Romanian urban network.
Integrated
use of natural
and human
resources.
Integrated
capitalization
of natural
and cultural
potential.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Asserting the urban-rural solidarity, as a basis for integrated territorial
strategies. The forms of urban-rural cooperation should be: metropolitan
areas, urban systems/clusters and development axes (corridors).
Rural development. The solutions for the achievement of this objective are:
an integrated approach of the rural development in relation with urban areas,
identification of key-roles rural areas in regional competitiveness and
sustainable development; increasing accessibility, economic diversification,
preservation of rural identity (creation of thematic parks) and environment
policies.
Strengthening and developing the inter-regional connectivity networks, as
a basis for regional development. Policentricity and an integrated national
transport system can facilitate a better integration of the Romanian regions
within the European economic and political space. Increasing the accessibility
and connectivity at regional and local scale, developing inter-modal transport
junction points connected to the European networks as well as specific
environment policies are needed.
Suitable development of the different types of territories: industrial
restructuring areas, rural areas, mountain areas, peripheral (border) areas, low
accessibility areas etc. Appropriated solutions should be adopted for each type
of territory, capitalizing specific resources and supporting the (cross-) national
partnerships.
Increasing the territorial competitiveness could be achieved through:
functional restructuring based on integrated capitalization of the regional and
local resources; increasing accessibility; use of renewable energy sources;
improvement of communication infrastructure, development of research,
innovation and creative activities.
9.
Protecting, developing and valuing the natural and cultural heritage.
Assessment, diversification and protection are important aspects in the
management and development of the national heritage. As for the
capitalization, an integrated approach (natural and cultural resources, climate
change, tourism impact, biodiversity, involvement of local communities) must
be engaged.
Place and importance of SCTDR within the Romanian institutional system.
1. Restructuring the Romanian territorial planning system through
SCTDR. The reforming process concerns different aspects: a territorial
planning system (inspired from international knowledge and territorial practice)
focused on spatial cohesion; elaboration of key-documents in order to start and
orient the reforming process; public awareness and involvement of different
decision-makers and practitioners; an up-dated and appropriated legislative
framework; building an institutional and professional system in territorial
planning; providing the instruments for the implementation of the reforming
process (financial support, public documentation and laws); creation of
integrated and sustainable partnerships for the implementation of major national
projects.
2. Implementation of SCTDR.
a. The implementation process should be realized through an integrated
vertical (local –regional –national) and horizontal (development strategy –
territorial plan – investments programmes) approach of territorial
strategies.
b. A legislative framework has been built since 2005, in order to ensure the
implementation of SCTDR: the law no. 289/2006 and G.O. no. 27/2008.
c. The institutional and professional development needed for the
implementation has been progressively built since 2007: employment of
Integrated
strategies
(vertically
and
horizontally)
experts in territorial planning (2007), creation of special ministerial
divisions (2007) and multidisciplinary groups of experts (2008).
d. Different types of actors are supposed to be involved in the process:
territorial actors (metropolitan areas, local and regional urban poles, rural
settings, regions and departments), institutions and sectorial organizations
linked through vertical and horizontal partnerships (ministries, local
authorities, research and education institutions, private sector, professional
associations, NGOs).
e. The instruments needed for SCTDR should be: indicators for the
observation and diagnosis of territorial dynamics and instruments for impact
assessment and prognosis.
ESPON results and SCTDR.
ESPON
Results (maps, concepts) from Espon 2006 projects listed below were capitalization.
used in building the SCDTR.
Observations.
Strengths of SCTDR.
+ integrated approach
+ territorial dimension
+ restructuring of the Romanian strategic planning and correlation with the
major strategic planning documents at European level
+ beginning of a legislative and institutional framework
+ use of ESPON results.
Weaknesses.
- the implementation process has not advanced very much after 2008: the
legislative framework as well as professional capacity are only partially built.
This blocks the expected vertical and horizontal integration of ITDS.
- the ITDS concept is still new and not very well understood at regional and
local level.
Opportunities:
+ As National Authority for the ESPON Programme and major policy maker for the
Romanian territorial planning, the Ministry for Regional Development and Tourism
is already aware of the importance and utility of ESPON results and of the
integrated approach for the national territorial strategies. This should facilitate the
implementation of ITDS at different administrative levels.
+ Even if ITDS are a quite new concept for the regional and local actors in
territorial planning, there is still a general awareness regarding their importance
(especially as a step for attracting European funds).
Threats.
- in order to accelerate the access to European funds and lacking a solid
professional capacity in this field, the local and regional authorities are tempted to
pay for standardized ITDS with low long term results.