Croatian Urban Centres in the European Nuts Regionalisation Context
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221 MAIN CROATIAN UR B AN CENTRES IN THE EURO P EAN NUTS RE G IONALISATION CONTEXT Damir MA G A š , Zadar* with 2 figures and 4 tables in the text CONTENT Summary ...................................................................................................................221 1 Introduction ..........................................................................................................222 2 Leading cities and the administrative-territorial model in contemporary Croatia ...........................................................................................223 3 Prerequisites defining the effective, functional network of cities and regionalisation ......................................................................................................227 4 Application of EU regionalisation parameters (NUTS-3) in Croatia ...................229 5 A proposal for a harmonised regional organisation with a network of Croatian leading urban centres .............................................................................231 6 Recent problems in applying effective decentralisation and regionalisation .......235 7 Conclusion ............................................................................................................236 8 References ............................................................................................................237 Summary In the modern architecture of the European NUTS regions, Croatia as a whole represents a NUTS-1 region. Since 2013, two regions have been defined at NUTS-2 level: Continental Croatia and Adriatic Croatia. At NUTS-3 level, the principle applies that each of the 21 Croatian counties represents a NUTS-3 region, although only half of them have more than 150,000 inhabitants, and there are only eight large, functionally and logistically appropriate regional centres. These clearly demarcated, actual regional foci also exert gravitational influence beyond their counties, i.e. they * Prof. Dr. Damir MA G A š, Department of Geography, University of Zadar, Kneza Višeslava 9, HR-23000 Zadar, Croatia; email: [email protected] 222 Damir MA G A š are regional centres in the true sense of the word, according to NUTS-3 region criteria/ needs. These are: Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, Osijek, Zadar and Slavonski Brod (cities with more than 50,000 residents, and with significant urban regions, generally over 100,000 inhabitants, 2011: City of Zagreb 688,724/1,100,000, Split 167,121/280,000, Rijeka 128,384/230,000, Osijek 84,104/130,000, Zadar 71,471/125,000, Slavonski Brod 53,531/100,000), with the seventh, the conurbation complex of Varaždin/Čakovec (38,839+15,147=53,896/100,000 residents), and the eighth, Pula (57,460/80,000) limited mainly to Istria [Istra] County. These centres, influencing broader regional gravity complexes (county and beyond county; except Pula), with roughly 250,000 to 550,000 inhabitants, should form the main pillars and cores of the country’s modern regional structure, because this is already the case in reality. The damaging effects of war, economic recession, transition and privatisation after 1991 have resulted in the fact that most of the former, somewhat stronger centres have been depopulated and economically weakened, while the levels of their central functions have been lowered, reducing their gravitational power practically to the sub-regional level (Karlovac-Duga Resa, Sisak-Petrinja, Šibenik-Vodice, Dubrovnik-Mokošica, Bjelovar, etc.). Only the conurbation of Vukovar- Vinkovci (26,468+32,029=65,497/90,000, in a demographically relatively prominent county, is potentially developing regional significance, however, it is significantly restricted, due to the close proximity of Osijek (Osijek – Vukovar 34 km, Osijek – Vinkovci 41 km). Consequently, there is contemporary orientation of the less populated counties: Dubrovnik-Neretva to Split, Šibenik-Knin to Zadar, Lika-Senj to Zadar (to a lesser extent to Rijeka), Požega-Slavonija to Slavonski Brod, Virovitica-Podravina to Osijek, Koprivnica-Križevci and Međimurje to Varaždin, Bjelovar-Bilogora, Krapina- Zagorje, Karlovac and Sisak-Moslavina to Zagreb. Given the significant demographic corpus and relatively prominent number of counties gravitating to Zagreb, it would be advisable to revitalise the functional equipment of some individual cities in the wider area around Zagreb. This means accepting the necessity of equipping Karlovac/Sisak (two counties), and Bjelovar/ Virovitica (two counties) for regional level functions, facilitating the revitalisation of these demographically and functionally weakened areas, which form individual NUTS-3 regions. 1 Introduction The modern administrative-territorial organisation of the Republic of Croatia is based on the counties (20) and the City of Zagreb as the basic administrative-territorial units and their governing (and self-governing) functions. The capital city of Zagreb and the county centres form a network of leading Croatian towns, which vary in size and gravitational influence. This administrative-territorial model has been practiced since Main Croatian Urban Centres in the European NUTS Regionalisation Context 223 the beginning of restructuring in 1993, and went through some changes in terms of modifying the borders of some counties in 1997. On existing administrative-territorial issues and possible changes and principles of regionalisation of the Croatian territory in relation to the main urban centres, several authors have submitted professional contributions: ča v r a K 2002, 2011; ma g a š 2003, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2013, 2014; lo v r i N č e v i ć , ma r i ć & re i C h 2005; lu K i ć 2012; Ko P r i ć 2006; Pa v i ć 2006; ša nt i ć 2006; iv a N i š e v i ć 2007; Đu l a B i ć 2007, 2008, 2012; Do B r i ć 2008; Ka T i č i N 2014 etc. Also, several more or less relevant elaborations and studies, as well as legislative proposals, have been produced. Taking into account the existing network of cities, the modern administrative- territorial model was created as an expression of aspirations for territorial differentiation and organisation of the country into units that would enable versatile economic, cultural and other types of development. Conceived along the lines of the county organisation of medieval Croatia, and later Croatia and Slavonia [Slavonija] under Habsburg rule, or within the dual monarchy as the Austrian-Hungarian Empire before the First World War (at which time Austrian Dalmatia [Dalmacija] was structured in districts, or counties), the model resulted in the establishment of 20 counties and the City of Zagreb. Initial proposals in 1992, for 10 to 12 counties, which would be distributed evenly throughout the area of contemporary Republic of Croatia, within the limits of influence of the same number of leading cities, were not accepted. In fact, by means of democratic debate among various parties, political and other bodies, and often the particularistic demands of smaller units and cities, etc., the final outcome was the designation of 20 counties and the City of Zagreb at the end of 1992. At the same time, the number of municipalities (including newly structured administrative towns) increased almost fivefold compared to the previous number of about 115 during the time of Socialist Croatia within Yugoslavia in the period after 1961. Recent political and economic circumstances, in particular the construction of the modern highway network, marked new differentiation between settlements. Today, seven or eight leading Croatian cities have prominently sized urban regions. They form the basis of a contemporaneous network of socio-economic groupings, areal-temporal spatial convergence, and gravitational relations, etc. 2 Leading cities and the administrative-territorial model in contemporary Croatia All Croatian cities with over 25,000 inhabitants in 2011, excluding the satellite of Zagreb (Sesvete and Velika Gorica), are county centres (Pula shares this function with Pazin). These cities mostly have relatively small populations, and only seven of them (without Sesvete) exceed 50,000 inhabitants (in 1910 only three; Table 1,2), with the 224 Damir MA G A š stronger gravitational influence and level of equipment of central function institutions (Tables 2 and 3). Most of them (except Zadar) experienced population decline in the period 2001 to 2011 (Table 1), as result of poor demographic characteristics (natural decline, and a variable, often negative migration balance), which was also true of the previous period, 1991 to 2001, due to war (1991-1995) and post-war events. Table 1: Main Croatian cities (with more than 25,000 citizens) – Population changes 2001-2011 Growth or Urban region Urban Population Population decline No. settlement 2001 2011 Population Population No. % 2001 2011 1. Zagreb 691,724 688,163 -3,561 -0.5 1,100,000 1,100,000 2. Split 175,140 167,121 -8,019 -4.6 290,000 280,000 3. Rijeka 143,800 128,384 -15,416 -10.7 240,000 230,000 4. Osijek 90,411 84,104 -6,307 -7.0 135,000 130,000 5. Zadar 69,556 71,471 1,915 +2.8 120,000 125,000 6. Pula 58,594 57,460 -1,134 -1.9 80,000 80,000 7. Sesvete 44,914 54,085 9,171 +20.4 part of Zagreb urban region 8. Slavonski Brod 58,642 53,531 -5,111 -8.7 100,000 100,000 9. Karlovac 49,082 46,833 -2,249 -4.6 80,000 70,000 10. Varaždin 41,434 38,839 -2,595 -6.3 100,000 100,000 11. Šibenik 37,060 34,302 -2,758 -7.4 55,000 50,000 12. Sisak 36,785 33,322 -3,463 -9.4 75,000 70,000 13. Vinkovci 33,239 32,029 -1,210 -3.6 75,000 70,000 14. Velika Gorica 33,339 31,553 -1,786 -5.4 part of Zagreb urban region 15.