What is it about?
This paper examines how residents and local actors in the peri-urban areas of Timișoara perceive the spatial change and the effects of rapid peri-urban development on their quality of life. To do this, we addressed three related dimensions: 1) the perceived advantages and disadvantages of everyday life in the two localities; 2) the ways in which respondents relate recent demographic and spatial changes to their quality of life; and 3) residents' evaluations of local planning and public administration in managing peri-urban development
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Why is it important?
The study is based on data obtained from 34 semi-structured interviews conducted in two peri-urban settlements of timișoara. the findings highlight that the peri-urban area of Timișoara should no longer be viewed merely as a transitional space between the city and the countryside, but as a distinct and increasingly influential territorial system. Furthermore, results also show that residents in peri-urban areas have an ambivalent view of residential appeal, demographic vitality and aspirations for an improved quality of life versus fragmented planning, infrastructure pressures, socio-spatial inequalities and uneven governance capacities.
Perspectives
We conclude that without coordinated planning, peri-urban growth risks exacerbating existing dysfunctions. However, appropriate governance tools could make these territories become strategic spaces for sustainable metropolitan development.
Dr Remus Cretan
west university of Timisoara
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Peri-urban transformation and quality of life in post-socialist cities: residents’ perceptions in Timișoara, Romania, Cogent Social Sciences, July 2026, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/23311886.2026.2699539.
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