Sanda Roșca

The concept of the 15 minutes city is increasingly present in the structure of spatial planning for large urban centers, with the main goal of improving quality of life by facilitating access to basic necessities for the population. This study aims to provide an integrated assessment of spatial accessibility for two urban centers that differ in structure and organization, with the main goal of identifying best practices that can be borrowed from one urban center to another in order to streamline sustainable spatial planning based on the strategic concept of the 15 minutes city. The entire research process is based on the development of a completely new and innovative GIS spatial analysis model that will add value to the specialized literature both through the geoinformational approach to the analysis, integration and through the exclusive use the freely available GIS databases (using the OpenStreetMap database), functionally integrated through network analysis and equations weighing the importance of accessibility needs for the population. For the analysis of pedestrian accessibility, in minutes, a total of 4826 locations were used for Cluj–Napoca and 5050 for Pecs, which were structured into 12 subclasses and five main classes (Recreational and Cultural, Public Services and Safety, Education and Health, Commercial, and Public Transport) established in accordance with the main requirements of the 15 minutes city development methodology. The integration of subclasses and accessibility classes was achieved by weighting their importance according to the responses obtained after the implementation of questionnaires to identify the working population’s perception of accessibility in their daily routine. The comparative analysis of the intermediate and final results of the proposed model leads to the establishment of directions and decision-making in the territorial planning process through the transfer of knowledge, solutions, and techniques between the two urban centers to eliminate or reduce negative hotspots and develop a more sustainable urban center in terms of accessibility and as close as possible to a 15 minutes city.

This study examines the morphology and development of Dobreștilor–Brusturet Cave, located in the Brusturet gorge at the western edge of the Bran–Dragoslavele Corridor, an important tourist route in the Romanian Carpathians. The research aims to analyze the geomorphological characteristics and establish the heritage value of the Dobreştilor Cave geomorphosite, supporting protection efforts for invertebrate species that led to the cave’s designation as a natural monument. The inventory of physical features prompted the Piatra Craiului National Park Scientific Council to consider including this speleological site in a thematic geotourism circuit called “The Road of Gorges and Caves in the Upper Basin of the Dâmbovițean”, integrated within protected areas. This represents the first geomorphological study of the cave. Given its ecological significance within the national park’s strict protection zone, recreational tourism is prohibited. The cave should only be used as a geotourism resource for scientific research and education. Morphogenetic analysis reveals that the cave has evolved in a vadose hydrological regime since the Pleistocene, with cavity expansion influenced by free-flowing water alternating with that under pressure during torrential episodes, concomitant with the precipitation of calcium carbonate that formed various speleothems. This research supports documentation for promotional materials and could assist local authorities in the Dâmbovicioara commune with geotourism development decisions, potentially integrating the site into a proposed “Moieciu–Fundata–Dâmbovicioara–Rucăr Geological and Geomorphological Complex”.

The brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos) is the only bear species on the Romanian territory, its natural habitat occupying a third of the country’s surface, including the entire mountain area as well as the hills in the immediate vicinity. The bear population in Romania is the largest in Europe, increasing every year due to legislative protection, the species being present in Annex II of the Habitats Directive. The fragmentation of the bears’ habitat is the main cause of conflict occurrences between bears and the human population, which have occurred increasingly often in recent years. The main aim of this study is the ecological diagnosis of lands populated with bears in Romania to identify the highest quality habitats within the hunting grounds and to identify possible ecological corridors aimed at preserving the connectivity between them, using GIS spatial analysis techniques and taking into account the ecological conditions needed for the brown bear to survive. Following the spatial modelling of the open-source data, it was possible to observe the presence of habitats of the highest quality that could support a bear population outside the areas where bear specimens are concentrated (the counties of Mureș, Bistrița, Harghita, Covasna, Neamț, Buzau, Vrancea, Prahova, Brașov, Sibiu, and Argeș). The analysis of these habitats, where the bear population has exceeded the optimal level that they can support, highlighted that to allow the passage of bear specimens from one habitat to another, it is necessary to create ecological corridors in several key areas deducted on the basis of mathematical models.

The present study contributes to the morphogenesis of the Miresii Cave, located in Cheia Mare of Dâmbovița in the area of the Bran—Dragoslavele Corridor, an important tourist axis in Romania. The main aim of the research is the proposal to the Scientific Council of Piatra Craiului National Park to bring to the attention of the national decision-making commissions that the cave be declared a natural monument. The inventory of this speleological geomorphosite suggested its inclusion in a thematic geotouristic circuit integrated into national and EU-protected natural areas. The novelty of the present research lies in the fact that the cave has never been studied before, being difficult to access. This cave, spatially found in the strict protection zone of the national park, is not included in its management plan. When being integrated into other nature protection areas, it is necessary to exclude any form of recreational tourism so that the cave can be exploited as a geotouristic resource strictly for research and educational purposes. The morphogenetic analysis of the cave, based on the information synthesized from geomorphological and geological literature, allowed us to decipher the morphological individualization of Miresii Cave in the local and regional geocronomorphological context, in accordance with the chronological separation of the karstification phenomenon manifested first in phreatic and later in vadose karst. The diversified typology of speleothems has been rendered according to the geomorphologic generating processes. The identification of the Rhinolophus ferrumequinum chiropteran colony and observations of its biotope highlighted the ecological significance of the cave. The inventory of the individuals of the colony led to the conclusion that the cave harbors one of the first two largest bat communities of this species in the national park and the adjacent depressional corridor. The present study may allow the documentation of the photographs and description of the geomorphosite integrated into the proposed thematic circuit to be included on billboards and in promotional brochures. Thus, it could also be useful for the decision-making authorities of Rucar and Podu Dâmboviței villages, which are interested in making decisions related to the promotion of geotourism, especially due to the existence of numerous geological and geomorphological tourist resources in the administrative territories.

With an emphasis on the effects of climate change, this study offers a thorough GIS-based assessment of land use favorability in the Apuseni Mountains. The Apuseni Mountains, a region characterized by its biodiversity and complex terrain, are increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, which threaten both natural ecosystems and human activities. The territory of 11 territorial administrative units was selected for the investigation because it shows more of an anthropogenic influence due to the migration of people to mountainous areas following the COVID-19 pandemic, which increased the amount of anthropogenic pressure in this area. Factors that describe the climate of the study area, the soil characteristics, and the morphometric characteristics of the relief were used to create a classification for the present on classes of favorability and restrictiveness for the plots of land, using a quantitative GIS model to determine the favorability of the land for the main crops and agricultural uses. The current land favorability was thus initially obtained, taking into account current temperature and precipitation values and using the SSP1-1.9, SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5 scenarios for the 2020–2099 time frame. The results indicate a variation in the statistical classification of the land for different favorability classes, a decrease of 4.7% for the high favorability class for pastures, an estimated decrease of 4.4% for grassland, and in the case of orchards, the situation reflects a fluctuating variation. There is a decrease of 6.4% in the case of the very low favorability class according to SSP2-4.5 (in the case of reaching an average temperature of 12.7 °C and an annual precipitation of 895 mm), and in case of high and very high favorability, there is an increase in plots falling into better high favorability classes of up to 0.7%.

Creative industries, by their nature of innovation through creativity, add value to any territory by giving it spatial functionality, and at the same time, they favour sustainable development through the sustainability of the urban centres in which they operate. This paper develops a GIS methodology based on the implementation of a spatial analysis model that captures, in a comparative way, the spatial functionality of two different urban centres—(Cluj-Napoca (Romania) and Pécs (Hungary))—in terms of spatial extent based on the impact of the spatial distribution of creative industries. The spatial analysis model is based on the management of alpha-numeric databases representing the addresses of the creative industries, based on geolocation, for the development of spatial analyses of pedestrian accessibility. The main aim is to identify the specific areas of 15 and 5 min model cities. The comparative analysis was carried out by implementing a deterministic methodology through which the areas with certain degrees of accessibility were analysed in relation to the total analysed area, with the main aim of standardising the scale of analysis due to the difference between the two urban centres, thus facilitating the use of qualitative boning in the final comparison process. The results obtained highlight the local behaviour, at the same time making it possible to conduct a realistic deterministic comparative analysis of the two urban centres, which are also identifiable from the point of view of local territorial functionality, thereby validating the GIS model implemented in the present study.

Spatial planning decisions form the basis of territorial progress by enhancing the resilience and opportunities for local and regional development. Therefore, decisions made as a result of multidisciplinary studies based on GIS assessment of all involved factors can provide a real and up-to-date image of the analyzed territory. In this context, geomorphic processes are among the factors restricting development, affecting built-up areas, transport infrastructure, and economic activities. This paper assesses geomorphic processes at the level of Cluj County, Romania, which mainly consist of active landslides that directly impact the accessibility of communities and their degree of safety, while accelerated soil erosion severely affects the output of land used for agriculture. GIS technology and a semi-quantitative model for determining the landslide hazard were used to classify landslides across occurrence probability classes. This methodology was implemented in Romania through Government Decision no. 447/2003. The USLE model was used to determine the soil erosion. As a result, the territory of Cluj County, which is the study area of this paper, was entirely included in one of the classes of risk concerning active geomorphic processes. Another important aspect consisted of categorizing transport infrastructure according to risk classes. A population risk assessment was also performed, taking into account the degree of accessibility of the territorial emergency department in the event that such hazards and processes occur. These results form the basis of proposals to efficiently plan the county territory, adapting decisions to the present trends in the evolution.

The complex environmental process of soil erosion is crucial to sustainable land management and conservation. This study uses the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) model to understand the intricate interactions that cause soil erosion in Cluj County, Romania, a region susceptible to complex erosion and landslide phenomenon. The established analysis depicts erosion patterns from localised hotspots to regions of relative stability, providing valuable insights into this critical issue. Spatial distribution maps with color-coded gradients show soil erosion risk and identify vulnerable regions, with temporal investigations depicting how environmental changes affect soil erosion, making it relevant to soil conservation and land management. A careful analysis of the USLE model's parameters (Ls, Cs, C, S, K) shows their soil erosion contributions. The erosion rates were graded in five classes in accordance to general practices of USLE modelling, which range from very-low, low, moderate, high and very-high susceptibility to soil erosion. While a significant majority of the county’s surface is represented by very-low and low erosion risk, several hotspots were identified with intense erosion processes that highlights the critical need to implement soil conservation measures in the area. Identifying erosion hotspots and conservation solutions encourages stakeholders to protect soils, and can provide policymakers with useful information for developing improved guidelines for soil and water conservation.