A Polycentric Approach for an Effective Urban Systematization of Bucharest

Studies show that world population is concentrated in urban centers, also called urban or metropolitan areas. The great cities of Europe such as London, Paris and Berlin are few examples. This paper presents the results of a study that sought to identify the extent to which the creation of the Metropolitan Area of Bucharest is necessary and appropriate and to find out the opinions of the local government officials related to the impact of this administrative change to the economic, social and cultural environment. The paper is based on a qualitative research with classical research methods used for collecting and processing data. The main beneficiaries of the research results are both public managers from local governments and politicians from central and local administration. The research has confirmed most of the research hypotheses and demonstrated that the creation of the Metropolitan Area of Bucharest is necessary, timely and expected and will have a positive impact on both economic and social development of Bucharest and the surrounding localities.