Urban territorial dynamics and socio-economic changes in Craiova city

Abstract

The city as a form of spatial organization had different typologies along the time which have been shown in various models of urban organization. The complex functions of the city which are based on the analysis of its functional areas imprints a specific model and a specificity of the local potential that can be capitalized in various ways. The economic and social phenomena that occur in the city such as industrialization, tertiarization, deindustrialization and functional reorganization of spaces, population dynamics, the share of its involvement in different economic sectors, influence very clearly the physiognomy of the city. The urban dynamics reveals that the city is constantly facing a number of problems and has a close connectivity with the rural and urban areas nearby. This study aims to make a diagnosis analysis of Craiova urban space revealing the urban dynamics and systemic analysis and also the socio-economic aspects presented through the quantitative processing of statistical data (between 1965 and 2012) on population dynamics, its employment by sector of economy and the functional profile of the city. The determination of the urban organizational model and the morpho-functional zoning of Craiova will reveal the spatial characteristics which are reflected in the social and economic activities undertaken in the city.