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Recent studies have demonstrated the significance of mental maps in facilitating a more comprehensive understanding of how individuals perceive and mentally represent physical spaces. It is of great importance to consider discrepancies between real and perceived environments when utilising mental maps as instruments. The objective of this paper is to examine the mental representations of Timișoara, Romania in order to identify the spatial elements (neighbourhoods, streets, landmarks, urban symbols) that are particularly salient in the respondents' mental representations of the city. A total of 559 mental maps were conducted using GIS and quantitative methods to indicate the perceived spatial elements. The findings suggest that spatial perception is influenced by certain dimensions connected to respondents' socio-demographic features. The findings also indicate that peripheral areas of the city are perceived as lacking memorability and attractiveness, confirming that these neighbourhoods do not fulfil the necessary functions of an urban space. It can be concluded that mental mapping serves as an efficient approach to the analysis of community–space relationships. The implications of this study are valuable for any stakeholders with activities in the city of Timisoara and contribute to sustainable, qualitative, and community-based urban planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban and peri-urban forests serve as significant drivers, conferring benefits to humans through engagement with their ecosystems. These benefits encompass recreation, cognitive development, introspection, the acquisition of knowledge systems, social relations, and aesthetic values. The aim of this study is to examine the urban and peri-urban ecosystem services by offering new insights into visitors' perspectives on the recreational, aesthetic, and spiritual values of forests in the city of Timișoara and its peri-urban area. The study focuses on two forests: Padurea Verde, the largest forest in Timișoara, and the Giroc Forest, one of the most frequently visited forest areas in the peri-urban zone of Timișoara. Thirty-six in-depth interviews were conducted with visitors to the two selected forests in September 2024. The findings indicate that visitors derive benefits from the ecosystem values of these forests, including recreational, aesthetic, and cultural values. However, there are also feelings of disappointment related to the lack of cleanliness and the presence of an excessive number of stray dogs in the forests. The findings also indicate a necessity for the implementation of organized activities, such as sports competitions and more children-oriented events, while discouraging the organization of festivals and the excessive use of noise in forests. Furthermore, they suggest that forests should be maintained in a relatively undisturbed state. These findings could prove beneficial as future perspectives for local practitioners, enabling the continued provision of complex ecosystem services and recreational values by urban and peri-urban forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies in rural heritage tourism have highlighted that watermills could stand as an important part of the pre-industrial tourism heritage. We contribute to rural heritage tourism by basing our study on the perceptions of tourists and local officials on the Rudăria Watermills, Romania. Based on survey and interview data, we document the strengths and limits of local watermills for tourism and describe the entrepreneurial agents involved in path development. Our findings point to the important role played by a local NGO in developing a path for tourism for the watermills, as well as the active involvement of local authorities and other local cultural leaders in including the mills in national and international tourism circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contemporary narratives, rural landscapes and identities, as judged by the inhabitants' sense of belonging, continue to be important points that need to be (re)considered when discussing places as instruments for local development. This paper pushes forward these debates and explores the construction of rural and regional identity in Romania with the help of a case study that focuses on perceptions of rural landscapes as cultural heritage in two rural communities situated on opposite sides of the river Mureș. Based on participant and ethnographic observation and making use of a survey and a qualitative analysis, this paper highlights the most significant features of the local cultural identities and their rural landscape heritage expressed by the two sets of people, which often coincide with the most important characteristics attributed to the regions separated by the river Mureș. The results of this study underline the dividing role of the river in the preservation of rural identity and cultural heritage. They also demonstrate that rural landscapes and the construction of identities along the river have generated both development opportunities and various risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has recently been discussion regarding how heritage rural areas are culturally affected by recent urban-to-rural migration. However, little research has been conducted on the form this process takes in post-communist contexts. Taking a geography approach to some Romanian heritage sites, this study foregrounds narratives based on interviews with local people in two villages in southern Transylvania that were formerly inhabited by different ethnicities. The results point to quite different perceptions of the cultural landscape changes in the two villages. Although both communities consciously seek to preserve and maintain a sense of place that is rooted in history, those who migrate from urban areas to these rural heritage places represent a catalyst for community resilience and development in areas such as acquisition of buildings, development of facilities, modern social services, and seeking new funding for landscape transformation. As NGOs function as a link between government, local people, newcomers to the community, and investors, we contend that more attention could be paid to channelling their funds towards investment in rural heritage. The greatest challenges to heritage are those posed by tourism, while NGOs and small investors are the driving force that helps to preserve and save cultural heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have indicated that residents’ perceptions on urban neighbourhoods are a multidimensional indicator that refers to an individual’s perception of their own position in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns in various social contexts. Our article makes theoretical and empirical contributions to discussions on the perceptions of residents of a historic neighbourhood and how they experience changes in the the context of postsocialist period. Using a questionnaire launched to Timişoara residents (N=480), in the historic district of Fabric, the findings of our study indicate that the degradation of historical buildings, the living space and living conditions are the main causes of dissatisfaction on the part of residents. Although the advantages of the Fabric neighbourhood are its historical heritage and the central location in Timisoara, the state of decay of the historical buildings and the lack of safety are among the major problems of the neighbourhood identified in the narratives of the respondents.

There has been a debate recently on how the population in traditional mining areas of Central and Eastern Europe faces precarity and marginalization. A spatial approach was employed in a Romanian context using available statistical data on a south Carpathian area (i.e., Gorj County). We also conducted surveys and in-depth interviews with residents in one of the rural communities of Gorj. Our findings highlight that a large number of rural localities in this county are technically, economically, and socially underdeveloped. Many inhabitants face a lack of financial resources and employment opportunities, which has led to the emigration of young people to larger Romanian cities or to other countries. We conclude that in order to avoid a much deeper social and spatial marginalization of local inhabitants, an integrated strategy is needed to target economic and social development, investment in infrastructure and public services, the promotion of employment and training opportunities, and to better integrate local culture and traditions into tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses the uneven territorial growth of the smart city phenomenon and how the national and local spatial politics of urban smart projects work out in practice. While in previous decades the concept of smart city referred mainly to the digital and technological realm as an indicator of the performance of cities, today it is taking on a broader range of meanings, so as to also cover such areas as governance, environment, housing and people. However, the critical literature on smart cities highlights two potential disadvantages: firstly, that urban planners who decide to pursue a smart city vision run the risk of creating a kind of power and control over residents; and secondly that there appears to be an incompatibility between smart cities and the informal. Moreover, the spatial and the critical dimensions of the governance of urban smart projects are still insufficiently researched. By using a comparative and developmental quantitative methodology for the urban smart projects of Romania and taking the city of Timisoara as a case study, this study highlights the fact that large cities are not always the best represented; our findings show that peripheral small cities and towns may enjoy a more balanced distribution of smart projects. Furthermore, our evaluation of the spatial distribution (centre–periphery) of smart city projects in Timişoara—a European Capital of Culture in 2023—reveals a higher level of investment in smart projects in its urban periphery. By presenting new critical understandings of the spatial interrelationships of smart city development, the study contributes to the geography of smart cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]