Int. J. Environ. Sci. Tech., 8 (4), 737-746, Autumn 2011 ISSN 1735-1472 D. Peptenatu et al. © IRSEN, CEERS, IAU Environmental risk management of urban growth poles regarding national importance 1*D. Peptenatu; 2R. D. Pintilii; 2C. Draghici 1Department of Human and Economic Geography and Researcher at the Interdisciplinary Center for Advanced Researches on Territorial Dynamics, University of Bucharest, Romania 2 The Interdisciplinary Center for Advanced Researches on Territorial Dynamics, University of Bucharest, Romania Received 2 August 2010; revised 2 October 2010; accepted 21 July 2011 ABSTRACT: Urban settlements of regional importance from Romania impose within the national settlements system by their ability to converge material and human flows, leading to important unbalances in the relationships between the components of territorial systems. The status they held, both in the communist period and at present, made the economic activities developed in a short time exceed the adapting ability of the other components of the territorial system, the natural environment strongly feeling the industrialisation pressure. Identifying the specificities of the environmental risk management at the level of development poles of regional importance was done by detailed analyses accomplished in Craiova, a representative town for the high concentration of economic activities strongly pressing upon the natural environment. The construction of the model of environmental risk management supposes the classifying of risks by a series of criteria, a model which constitutes a useful instrument for the decision factors. The management of unbalances from the territorial systems determined by industrialisation is one of the major preoccupations of the decision factors from Romania, in order to be aligned to the European environment standards. Keywords: Industrial pressure; Local communities; Pollution; Polycentric network; Sustainable development INTRODUCTION Human settlements of regional importance impose by the complex approaches of imbalances between parts in the national settlements system by their ability to of the territorial system, by complex analyses promote information which is indispensable for the methodologies. (Beer, 2006). One of the indispensable development within the settlements network they methodologies of integrated approaches of coordinate, as well as by the capacity to converge environmental risk is the geographical informational material and human flows (Ianos, 2000). systems that permits a superior modeling of territorial This category of settlements comprises towns of reality. The concentration of economic activities and over 300.000 inhabitants, with high concentrations of these towns’ importance within the regional polycentric economic activities, predominantly industrial and networks oblige the decision factors to elaborate human flows (the population weight after 1990 was efficient management strategies of environmental risk, over 5 % for each one), this exerting a high pressure their specificity being determined by the contradictory upon the natural and social environment (Tehrani et dynamic of these territorial systems after 1990. al., 2009; 2010). The responsible approach for the In Romania, except the capital Bucharest, there are environment problems is an important task of the seven towns with over 300.000 inhabitants (Craiova, decision factors, in the complex process of elaborating Timisoara, Cluj-Napoca, Constanþa, Iasi, Galati, the integrated development directions of the urban Brasov) (Fig. 1), representing nuclei of coordinating settlements of regional level (Ianos et al., 2009; some human settlements networks, where they have Gavrilescu, 2009; Robu and Macoveanu, 2009). The the role of transmitting information which is efficency of the management strategies is conditioned indispensable for development. The high concentration *Corresponding Author Email: [email protected] of economic activities determines, on the one hand, a Tel./ Fax: +407 8899 0060 high pressure upon natural environment, and on the D. Peptenatu et al. Siret Cluj-napoca Lasi Timisoara Brasov Galati Black Sea Craiova Bucuresti Constanta 050100 Danube km Caiova 0 25 50 kmkm Fig. 1: Distribution of main national development poles in Romania other hand some specific measures of managing the The research activities have been conducted in functional unbalances from the territorial systems Craiova, an important pole of development of Romania, components’ level. The six towns have got a similar representative of imbalances between the relationships evolution, some massive investments being necessary of the environment and the economic activities.The in the communist period, when Romania’s most analyses started in 2008, with the launching of some important industrial platforms were set up. research projects regarding territorial management Environmental risk is the result of the interaction of based on growth pole theory. the two major components of territorial systems: the environment component and the human component, MATERIALS AND METHODS which are displayed as major functional unbalances, The identifying of the environmental risk endangering achievement of development objectives management’s specificities at the level of development (Chien and Shih, 2007; Choi and Lee, 2009; Braghina et poles of regional importance was done by detailed al., 2010). Environmental risk management suppose a analyses in Craiova, a representative town for the superior level of perception of the importance to concentration of economic activities, which exerts a anticipate the relationships dysfunctions between special pressure upon the natural environment. natural and environmental dimension (Ianos et al., The present study has given a special attention to 2009). international standards in the field of risk management, The strategic dimension of the environmental risk management supposes to identify the way the elaborated by The Institute of Risk Management development objectives of territorial systems may be (IRM), the Association of Insurance and Risk affected (Pollack, 1994; Hooghe and Marks, 2001). Managers (AIRMIC) and The National Forum for Risk Environmental risk management shows a series of Management in the Public Sector. According to these particularities due to the complexity of the environments institutions, the complex process of risk management affected by the concentration of human activities, a supposes following several well established stages complexity which determines numerous uncertainties (Fig.2): risk analysis, evaluation and reporting, (Babut and Moraru, 2006; Nouri et al., 2011). decision, treatment and monitoring. The construction of the environmental risk According to the standard Australian / New management models must take into account the Zealand Standard (AS/NZS4360, 2001), the risk amplitude of the existent and potential unbalances represents the possibility of an event to happen and (Fekete, 2006; Ianos et al., 2009), their efficiency being consequently to induce effects upon the development strictly connected to the community’s participation by objectives established at decisional level, whereas in informing and consulting in all the stages of the a synthetical way the risk represents the effect of implementation process (Szigethy, 2007). incertitude upon objectives (Fig.3). 738 Int. J. Environ. Sci. D. Tech.,Peptenatu 8 (4), et 737-746, al. Autumn 2011 The organization’s strategic obiectives Risk Assessment Risk Analysis -Risk identification -Risk description -Risk estimation Modification Formal audit Risk reporting Threats and ppportunities Decision Risk treatment Residual risk reporting Monitoring Fig. 2: The risk management process Source: Risk management standard, AIRMIC, ALARM, IRM (2002) According to this standard, the risk management protect the surface waters, delays that produce process unfolds in accordance with a series of catastrophic effects on ecosystems. (Bebbington and principles, out of which the most important are: risk Williams, 2008; Vinke-de Kruijf et al., 2009). The management creates and protects value, risk concentration of certain economic branches at these management is an essential part of the organising and urban structures’ level determined the pollution of decision processes (AS/NZS 4360, 2004). ground waters, and this way specific measures for The efficient environmental risk management is ensuring potable water for the population were conditioned by a double approach: the existence of an necessary (Nouri et al., 2008; 2009). efficient institutional system and the quantification of The analysis of environmental risks was based natural and anthropic risks. The natural risks upon identifying and quantification of numerous management supposes to identify the measures interventions, with different intensities, of the necessary for the control of the unbalances form the decision factors, which led to profound mutations in natural subsystems, due to the human activities’ the proportion between the exploitation capacity (Ec) pressure. The management of anthropic risks supposes and the development potential (Dp), under the impulse the identifying and the attenuation of the unbalances of some violent interventions of the decision factors determined by economic activities, as well as by at long time intervals (Fig. 4). important human flows oriented towards urban settlements of regional importance, appeared from the RESULTS AND DISCUSSION setting up of some large industrial platforms. Authors The analysis