Peri-urban transformation and quality of life in post-socialist cities: residents’ perceptions in Timișoara, Romania

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. 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. 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.