Internal spatial inequalities in Romania have increased significantly in parallel with the increase in the economic growth following the EU accession. Large urban areas have an important contribution to the increasing spatial inequalities through the concentration of growth in few urban areas.

There is currently no empirical research on the interrelationship between the economic and spatial dynamic of the urban areas and the diffusion of growth to their influence zone. In this context, the proposed project draws together research capacities on spatial dynamics, territorial inequalities and satellite earth observation solutions. This includes research on spatial analysis and modeling of urban growth, determining economic specialization and economic complexity, as well as the measuring territorial inequalities between and within the large urban areas.

The general objective of the project is to provide a comprehensive view of the causal mechanisms that link urban growth, economic specialization and complexity, spatial inequalities and urban growth diffusion.

The main impact of the project will result from providing accurate, actual and real-time information on the spatial expansion of the analyzed large urban areas as well as the influence of urban growth poles on the territorial development through the evaluation of urban growth diffusion. In this way satellite earth observation solutions combined with classical statistical analysis represent an innovative and new approach in spatial analysis and planning practice in Romania. Evaluating the diffusion effect of the seven urban growth poles in Romania will give an important feed-back and provide evidence for the future regional policy and planning as well.