Recent Researches in Business Administration, Product Design and Marketing Growth Pole Ploiesti - Prahova - tool for regional development ADRIAN NEDELCU Economy and Business Administration Department Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiești Ploiești, No 39, Bucharest Avenue, 100680, Prahova County ROMANIA [email protected] Abstract: - Spatial planning has experienced profound changes in recent decades marked by abandonment of interventionist policies and orientation towards development models that give a significant role to the regional level of spatial planning. In this context, the region is seen as an important source of comparative advantages, but also as a basic scale for economic development. The essence of this increase in the role of the regional level is expressed by the new regionalism, whereby one region can hold its own path of development. Despite these positive developments of the regions, the fact that local and regional development remains strongly correlated with events occurring nationally or internationally cannot be ignored. In this framework, the relations between the region and the central powers, the state or it’s mode of integration into the global system remain important structural forces. Regional development is mainly aimed at the harmonious development of the territory of a region from an economic, social and cultural point of view, by avoiding the negative effects of excessive urbanization process. In the context of regional development on a matrix of sustainable development the city of Ploiești is regarded as the coordinating centre for the settlements in the immediate vicinity and used as a tool to achieve the goal of regional development, namely a territorial, balanced development of the regions. This paper tries to highlight the city of Ploiesti as the engine of the regional sustainable development through spatial diffusion of growth impulses to the area of influence in terms of protecting the environment and boosting development processes in small towns and adjacent rural areas. Key-Words: - regional development, sustainable development, growth pole, metropolitan area, urban development pole, industrial park. 1 Introduction result of the increase of third sector in the Regional development is one of the major concerns economy). On the other hand, rational territorial of the European Union since its establishment, when distribution of industry, infrastructure and labor will the signing of the Treaty on interstate economic help reduce the negative effects of overcrowding, a integration in 1957 in Roma stipulated the following phenomenon faced by most prosperous regions. objective for regional policy: "to strengthen the The following fundamental principles stand at unity of national economies and to ensure the basis of the regional development policy in the harmonious development by reducing disparities European Union: between different regions and especially to support - the principle of concentration, principle that the most disadvantaged regions." prevents waste and dispersion of resources on too Regional development policy of the European many goals, the allocated funding focusing on Union, which is based on financial solidarity, that common goals; allows third of the EU budget to be directed towards - the principle of coherence, whereby a specific the most disadvantaged regions, is in fact the project for a specific sector should be based on a "engine" that makes possible the development of all comprehensive long-term strategy, good correlation regions and crystallization of a more cohesive with other projects, and should come under the economic union, competitive and balanced. general development plan; This major interest is based on economic - the principle of subsidiarity, a principle that places grounds, meaning that the development of less responsibility closer to the concrete reality; favoured regions will polarize preferentially the - partnership principle, followed throughout the input of trade, creating new markets for both capital process of regional sustainability and development, goods and consumer goods and services (as the acknowledges the role of local actors responsible in defining their needs and mobilizing resources; ISBN: 978-960-474-325-4 169 Recent Researches in Business Administration, Product Design and Marketing according to this principle, the involvement and profile of the growth pole was achieved by using the participation of stakeholders at all levels (local, descriptive method. regional, national and EU) in all phases of attraction 3 Regional development policy in and exploitation of the Structural Funds are urgently needed, as a guarantee of efficiency of resource Romania At EU level, the strategy of growth centres is allocation; emerging in the early 60s, due to the need of - the principle of additionality, whereby financial deglomeration of highly urbanized regions in order resources are allocated additionally to resources to reduce the gaps that are more obvious and with from national, regional or local authorities; serious consequences, both at interregional and - the principle of co-financing requires that projects intraregional level. It is based on the growth pole and programs for regional development should have concept, established by Francois Perroux and widely an involvement and participation (co-financing) of elaborated by Jacques-Raoul Boudeville and José both local and regional factors, as well as factors of Ramón Lasuén, according to whom growth poles EU; are cities with a number of features that out pass the - the principle of evaluation works by continuous average of the region and in which growth processes assessment (conducted throughout project are triggered [1]. Thus, the polarization on sectors, implementation to distinguish whether the project occurred due to the onset of growth processes, also objectives are operational, and the programs are has the implicitly effect of spatial or regional carried out, in order to be able to intervene in time if polarization, proof being the spatial development needed), and by final evaluation (to what extent the trend of growth poles of the first generation on the project objectives have been achieved and to what axes of development occurred along the major lines extent they can be pursued through subsequent of transportation [5]. programs). In the context of sustainable development, The major objectives of the European Union Romania is currently facing a big challenge of for the period 2007-2013 are related to achieving rethinking and reorganization the regional social, economic and territorial cohesion and development and urban systems [2]. ensuring economic competitiveness. For the In Romania, each of the eight development commissioning of these objectives it was regions includes, on a territorial level, at least one recommended and it is still recommended that funds city with over 200,000 inhabitants, with an should be concentrated in growth poles to ensure the important contribution to regional development. In polycentric development of Member States and order to implement the national strategy for increase their ability to compete internationally. polycentric urban development and its connection to European Union policy, one year after Romania’s 2 Methodology integration, in 2008, seven major cities have been This study seeks to highlight the city's role in designated as centers of growth poles. These regional sustainable development, representing a correspond to concentrations of industries with development pole that allows a better balancing of higher dynamic (Timișoara, Cluj-Napoca, Brașov, the economic, social and cultural development, by Ploiești, Constanța, Iași, Craiova - one in each spatial diffusion of growth impulses towards areas development region). Through their ability to induce of influence in terms of protecting the environment. sustained economic growth, creating jobs, boosting In terms of methodology, the study is the result productivity, irradiation of development processes of the analysis of various bibliographic sources. in small towns as well as rural adjacent areas, poles Qualitative methods, case study, observation of growth have important involvement and method, exploratory research, document analysis, multiplication effects on the regional economy [1]. consultation of bibliographic sources, of relevant legislation were used. 3.1 Growth Pole - instrument of the regional In order to obtain data on the concept of growth pole and the polycentric development process, the development policy in Romania exploratory method was used. In this respect the The period that has elapsed since the fall of main documents, publications that have made communism (1989) but also the endeavours to reference to regional sustainable development connecting to the European system of values (2004, through growth poles have been analyzed. 2007) have demonstrated the need for adopting Presentation of the natural and demo-economic sustainable regional development policies. A challenge that Romania is facing, at present, binds to rethinking and reorganizing regional development ISBN: 978-960-474-325-4 170 Recent Researches in Business Administration, Product Design and Marketing and urban systems in the context of sustainable The geographical position, the size of the development [2]. population, but also the poly-functional structure In this context, growth pole, the new territorial ensures the urban coordinator centre Ploiești with structure comprises two main components: an urban those prerequisites