Abstract
The article explore the dimension of spatial changes of land use in the Bucharest Metropolitan Area (BMA) over the past forty years. Using GIS-based land use data sets of the years 1970, 1990 and 2000, combining with statistical data, we attempted to quantify the spatial pattern of land use changes in the BMA. Our findings indicate that most significantly changes occurred with arable lands that have been reduced from 77% percent of total metropolitan area in 1970 to 71.3% in 2000 and in same time the built up area increase from 6.2% in 1970 to 10.4% in 2000. Vineyards and orchards suffered a reduced of their spread. In the case of vineyards the percentage of total area decrease from 2.7% in 1970 to 0.8% and regarding orchards from 1.1% in 1970 to 0.6% in 2000. The growth of built up indicate the urban influence of Bucharest city on it the large metropolitan area. The decrease of vineyards and orchards can be correlated with agrarian reform passed after the fall of socialist economic system that generated many problems for the farmers that cannot continue to cultivate the land with these kinds of cultures. These findings have implication with the futures strategies on urban and metropolitan planning in this area.
Highlights
In the last decade, Romanian geographers provided in their studies an exceptionally attention for Bucharest metropolitan area (BMA)
Throughout the period analysed here, the predominantly land use was represented by arable land, which took shares in the total metropolitan area of 77%, 70.5% and 71.3% (Table 2)
The second place in terms of land use in this hierarchy was taken by forests that occupied on the 70s a 9.9% share of the total metropolitan area
Summary
Romanian geographers provided in their studies an exceptionally attention for Bucharest metropolitan area (BMA). This fact is underlined by a various PhD thesis which analysed this area from different points of view. We mention here the contribution of Ioja (2006) and Grigorescu (2010) that studied the quality and human impact on the environment, the natural and artificial hazardous; Cepoiu (2009) had described the spatial distribution of industrial activities after the fall of socialist economic system; Nae (2009) and Suditu (2005) fallowed the changes of the quality of housing and life; Gherasim(2007) using cartographic data. Land use and landscape changes in the urban areas are the topics analysed in many scientific articles. Landscape metrics are calculated to describe the spatio-temporal changes in land use and land cover Al., 200; Braessler, Klotz, 2006; Palmer, 2004)
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