ABSTRACT In the context of the intensification of economic competitiveness, depending both on the economic activities unfolded as well as on their territorial location, on the distribution and spatial relationships that these activities have with resources, on afferent workforce, on the equipment, services and sales markets, it is obvious that the urban strategy has to be directed towards the involvement of urban centers, of metropolitan areas in harnessing natural and cultural resources, thus constituting a hierarchical system of multi/zones of development by realizing competitive products and services. Having to consider all these, the intensification of the influence of the equipment and recreation areas system on the economic vitality of the metropolis, on the complexity and quality of the recreation services and equipments, enhance the reputation and image of a region and has positive effects on its attractiveness; at the same time, the recreation service system creates jobs, stimulates tourism and facilitates a series of advantages regarding the economic and social domains

Delia Popescu²

Mihaela Padurean³

Prof Phd

Rodica Minciu

CiteSeerX

Cactus Tourism Journal Vol. 1, Issue 2/2010, Pages 26-30, ISSN 2247-3297 
 
 
26 
The Impact of Metropolitan Development  
on Recreation Areas Planning 
 
Rodica Minciu1, Delia Popescu², Mihaela Padurean³ 
¹ Prof. PhD, The Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies 
Faculty of Commerce, Department of Tourism-Services 
²,³ Assoc. Prof. PhD, The Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies 
 Faculty of Commerce, Department of Tourism-Services 
 
ABSTRACT 
In the context of the intensification of economic competitiveness, depending both on the economic activities unfolded 
as well as on their territorial location, on the distribution and spatial relationships that these activities have with 
resources, on afferent workforce, on the equipment, services and sales markets, it is obvious that the urban strategy has 
to be directed towards the involvement of urban centers, of metropolitan areas in harnessing natural and cultural 
resources, thus constituting a hierarchical system of multi/zones of development by realizing competitive products and 
services. Having to consider all these, the intensification of the influence of the equipment and recreation areas system 
on the economic vitality of the metropolis, on the complexity and quality of the recreation services and equipments, 
enhance the reputation and image of a region and  has  positive effects on its attractiveness; at the same time, the 
recreation service system creates jobs, stimulates tourism and facilitates a series of advantages regarding the economic 
and  social domains. 
 
KEYWORDS 
planning, recreation areas, metropolitan areas, tourism 
 
JEL Classification 
L83, R11 
 
 
The explosive dynamic of society has as consequence, among others, the appearance of great urban 
agglomerations. But the development of such forms of social organization has to be a sustainable one, 
capable of harmonizing the protection and preservation of the environment with the economic and social 
progress, with the improvement of the people’s living and working conditions.  
Within this process, among the requirements that stand out more obviously there is also that of leisure; 
therefore, metropolitan development has to find solutions for the problems that are specific to an efficient 
conception and operation of certain areas intended to facilitate recreation activities. 
 
1. Aspects regarding the development of metropolitan areas and the changes produced  
in economy and social life 
 
The formation and development of metropolitan areas represent a natural tendency in urban evolution. 
International experience has clearly enough demonstrated that the organization of metropolitan areas has a 
significant contribution to economic and social development and to answering some problems regarding 
space management and the protection of the environment. (Arias&Borja 2007) 
With respect to economic development, the vast surfaces on which the metropolitan areas are stretching, 
in comparison to cities and even megalopolises, the greater diversity of resources and associatedly of the 
economic branches represent advantages of these areas and also fundamental conditions for their progress; 
through their characteristics, metropolitan areas provide opportunities for a viable and prospective economic 
development, assure a superior exploitation of the resources and  the fact that, in our opinion is a specific 
issue and represents an advantage, they privilege a relationship of complementarity between the various 
                                                 
1 Corresponding author: Rodica Minciu - rodicaminciu@yahoo.com 
Cactus Tourism Journal Vol. 1, Issue 2/2010, Pages 26-30, ISSN 2247-3297 
 
 
27
economic branches. Practically, in these areas we can talk about an integrated development, an evolution less 
dependent on other areas, having an impact at the level of the reinvestment of the benefits in order to 
acheieve their own prosperity. (Padurean 2007) 
At a social level, it is obvious that the economic development will generate an improvement of the living 
conditions. Besides meeting existential necessities at a superior level, the development of metropolitan areas 
will lead to the reduction of disparities, irregularities and social exclusion; likewise, this fac will be reflected 
in the growth of the level of culture, trainig and education, will stimulate the reinforcement of social 
relationships, of interaction and relationships between the inhabitants of the settlemnts that compose the 
respective area. 
Positive evolutions at the economic and social levels will generate an increase of the interest for 
recreation and tourism activities; on the one hand, there will exist the material means necessary for these 
activities to be unfolded (incomes, automobile equipment, sports equipment etc), and, on the other side, more 
and more people will grow aware of the advantages of  being involved in such activities. 
The development of metropolitan areas has also impact upon the environment (Popescu 2003) and upon 
the use of the land, respectively; be it either the resource consumption, or the extension of surfaces with 
buildings or transformed in order to meet various necessities, the environment will be affected.  
Irrespective of the strategy adopted for metropolitan development (Bonnet 2000) – and here we refer to 
the option between centralization and decentralization and the afferent models – creating these strategies in 
connection to the tendencies of the economic and social dynamic worldwide, determines a series of 
transformations with consequences on the purposes of the area and the intensity of its usage. Among the 
most important ones there can be mentioned: 
- changes in the economic structure by focusing on the branches with intensive intelligence, on tertiary 
activities, on the “green” ones, the impact upon the environment being  more diminished; 
- modifications in the structure of workforce, of the degree of occupancy with consequences on the 
recreation activity; 
- the development and diversification of transportation, optimizing the relationship between public 
and private, the surface and underground relationships, etc basicly, having a negative impact upon 
the environment (pollution) and upon the extension of the areas assigned for these equipments 
(terminals, highways, railways, etc) 
- spatial decentralization of the administrative positions; changing the hierarchy imposed by the direct 
physical relationship between center and outskirts, triggering out the increasing importance of the 
role of the outskirts; 
- blurring the differences between the urban landscape and the rural one, etc 
These directions and other associated ones have influence upon the usage of the area in the sense that the 
pressure on the area is rising but also that some activities, especially the industrial ones, are relocated by 
creating different parks (for research, production, business, commercial activities, etc), by reorganizing the 
land intended for residence building through creating residential areas on the outskirts, creating development 
corridors overlapping the transport corridors, etc. 
All these transformations imply a series of changes in recreation areas planning. 
 
2. Typology of recreation areas 
 
Leisure areas are made up of grass plots (parks, gardens) and areas fitted out for practicing different 
entertainment activities (sports or spare time facilities). These areas may be located in the interior of the 
urban residences that compose the metropolitan area or outside these residences, in forest areas, in an area 
contiguous with watercourses or lakes, etc. From the point of view of  the development, these may not be 
Cactus Tourism Journal Vol. 1, Issue 2/2010, Pages 26-30, ISSN 2247-3297 
 
 
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developed at all or may be slightly developed (parks, forests) or simply developed (fields for practicing 
different sports) or having a more complex development (such as mini resorts, weekend destinations, 
amusement parks etc). Moreover, from the perspective of the beneficiary, these areas may be projected for 
the inhabitants of the metropolitan area or other categories of visitors (tourists) may as well benefit from the 
development of these areas. 
An interesting classification, that takes into account various criteria (Minciu 1995) out of the ones 
previously mentioned such as: the type of activities unfolded, their size and location, the weighting and 
exigency regarding the protection of the environment etc, brings into discussion two main categories: 
- active recreation areas (leisure areas facilitating sports, cultural, entertainment activities, having a 
wide range of activities, often with a high rate of built-up and fitted out surfaces in comparison to the 
natural ones) 
- passive recreation areas (urban and peri-urban, botanical gardens, natural reservations and public 
access forests etc., with very few buildings and with a slight planning of the landscape). 
“Active” recreation areas are intended for more complex and diversified recreation activities, that may 
require equipments, important buildings and plannings and/or that have large dimensions, having a higher 
level of usage of the field and a greater impact on the surrounding area, both because of the physical, spatial 
presence and because of the flow of population, traffic and parking areas, even because of the potential 
pollution effects. These areas have a sports, cultural or entertainment nature and are located both in the urban 
territory and in the peri-urban territory. 
The significant population waves that these areas generate, at least occasionally (for example during the 
weekend, or on the occasion of certain sports or cultural manifestations) as well as the need of limiting auto 
mobility and the great necessity for large parking surfaces required by this mobility, determine a careful 
organization of accesibility in these recreation areas. It is recommended that the location of such an area be 
set taking into account a well organized service of public transportation, in connection with a junction 
(station) of a transportation network system, eventually intermodal transportation (intermodal pole) or in 
zones that are already wellknown as recreation destinations (note the fact that metropolitan areas do not 
develop on a vacant land). 
At present, there is a general opinion considering that even the integrated commercial areas providing 
entertainment, cultural and sports services, hypermarkets, malls and multiplex units (veritable poles of 
recreation activities and spending spare time) are part of the category of “active” recreation areas.  
The concept of commercial “park” also implies the modifications of these areas regarding physical and 
spatial characteristics, having to consider the intensification of their recreation characteristic, leading to the 
increase of the rate of grass plots, to the increase of the development quality and to a greater concern for the 
opportunities that the landscape of these areas offer. 
“Pasive” recreation areas are intended for “mild” recreation activities, that do not imply equipments, 
buildings and complex or great dimension planning, having a diminished impact on the respective natural 
landscape, on the surrounding area, on the natural or built-up patrimony. The level of protection 
requirements regarding the natural or cultural patrimony or regarding the quality of living in adjacent areas is 
very high and this fact leads to restrictive conditions regarding building-up, both from a spatial and 
configurative point of view (low level of land occupancy, small dimensions buildings, low degree of de 
anthropization etc.) as well as from a functional point of view (functional profile limited to “milld” activities, 
having low impact visually, auditorily and chemically). For example, large touristic and recreation 
equipments cannot be set in sensitive landscape areas or in biotopes of great importance and value. From a 
Cactus Tourism Journal Vol. 1, Issue 2/2010, Pages 26-30, ISSN 2247-3297 
 
 
29
functional point of view, “passive” recreation areas may host activities related to sports, tourism, leisure, 
walks, but without a “mass” nature, intensive and compatible with the characteristics of the area. 
 
3. Problems regarding recreation areas planning in the structure of metropolitan areas 
 
The development of metropolitan areas has a clear impact on the areas intended for recreation activities 
and the influences can be manifested at different levels, respectively: 
- dimensions – the surfaces assigned to recreation activitaties 
- location/position in space 
- planning – specific equipment 
With respect to the dimensions, there are almost unanimous opinions that admit the necessity for their 
extension (that is of the assigned surfaces) as a result of the increasing demand regarding recreation 
activities, determined in turn by the action of certain favourable factors such as (Minciu 2004): 
- increase of the urbanization degree – the close similarity of the organization mode of social life in 
small towns and rural residences that compose the metropolitan area, with the core city (cities) has as 
consequence a greater density of the buildings, agglomeration, phonic pollution, air and water 
pollution etc, intensifying the need for escaping into the natural environment 
- increasing the spare time and another purpose of this spare time during the calendaristic year 
- considerable availability of material and financial resources for practicing recreation activities 
- changing the consumption habits etc. 
In addition, the increasing demand for recreation activities  is doubled by the increasing exigence 
regarding the complexity and diversity of the facilities supplied, regarding the quality of the services. 
Another aspect that has to be taken into account when setting the dimensions of recreation areas refers to 
the concept of urban development (horizontally or vertically, concentrically or in a polynuclear direction etc) 
and the relationship between built-up areas and grass plots. For example, excessive urban development is 
brought about by the reduction of surfaces representing grass plots; or the development of residencial areas 
triggers off problems regarding redimensioning or relocation of the activities. 
The issue of recreation areas and  mainly of grass plots is a very important one with respect to the 
planning of a certain level of the quality of living, a reason for which there are established or enacted norms 
at an European level or at the level of different countries. From this point of view, the situation in Romania 
and  especially in Bucharest, is a disastrous one. 
In this context, more and more specialists talk about a relationship of  complementarity between grass 
plots, for recreation in the interior and outside the urban agglomerations (as a compromise to the 
insufficiency of these plots in the cities), a relationship that should be taken into account especially in the 
development of the metropolitan area of Bucharest. 
The position, location in the territory of recreation areas is another problem of the planning of these 
areas. Besides the option of setting the area in the interior or outside urban agglomerations there has to be 
taken into account the access that has to be provided both with means of public transport and with specific 
ones (Heyns & Schoeman 2006); moreover, an important restriction is that of the duration of the travel. It is 
needless to say that a location that is too far away from the urban agglomerations and/or that can be accessed 
with difficulty will considerably reduce its importance. 
In selecting the areas intended for leisure, for entertainment, in the specific case of those located outside 
the cities, there appears the problem regarding the “tolerable vicinity”, the compatibility with the other 
activities against the background of their relocation. Setting the industrial, agricultural, construction, 
commercial, storage (especially of waste products) activities and those of the airports outside the cities, 
reduces drastically the options for the development of recreation areas. 
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In what concerns the contents of the equipments, in connection with what has been previously 
mentioned, there can be distinguished poorly planned areas or areas that are not at all planned, especially in 
the category of grass plots – parks, forest areas etc – a nd planned areas. In this second case, the equipment 
firstly regards the ways of access; then the recreation means or equipments, that have to be diverse (to cater 
for all age categories and physical condition) and accessible from the point of view of the price (gratuitous 
and for a fee); moreover, these equipments may be simple or more complex, such as amusement parks etc. 
Leisure areas planning has positive effects not only upon the living conditions but also upon the 
economic field, as the production of entertainment equipments stimulates the economic development and the 
creation of new workplaces; in addition, the activity of entertainment areas stimulates tourism and the 
benefits it brings contribute to the improvement of the image of the respective destinations. 
Leisure activities may also have a negative impact upon the natural and inhabited environment, upon the 
inhabitants, upon the ecosystems and landscapes. Consequently, the planning of the areas intended for this 
kind of activities has to be realized paying very much attention. 
In relation to the general problems that have been mentioned, recreation areas planning as well as the 
development of metropolitan areas has to be adapted to the geographic, social and economic conditions 
encountered. 
 
 
BIBLIOGRAPHY 
 
1. Arias, A. & Borja, J. (2007). Metropolitan Cities: Territory and Governability. The Spanish Case, Built 
Environment, Volume 33, Issue 2: 170-184 
2. Bonnet, J. (2000). World’s Great Metropolises. Iasi: The European Institute  
3. Heyns, W. & Schoeman, C.B. (2006). Urban Congestion Charging: Road Pricing as a Traffic Reduction 
Measure, WIT Transactions on the Built Environment, Volume 89: 923-932 
4. Minciu, R. (2004). The Economy of Tourism. Bucharest: Uranus Publishing House 
5. Minciu, R. (1995). Tourism Planning of Land. Bucharest: Sylvi Publishing House 
6. Padurean, M. (2007). Tourism Dynamic in Urban Strategy (CD). Bucharest: The Bucharest Academy of 
Economic Studies Publising House 
7. Popescu, D. (2003). Sustainable Tourism Planning of the Coastline. Bucharest: MatrixRom Publishing 
House 


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