The Timișoara metropolitan area is a metropolitan area in Timiș County, which includes Timișoara and 14 surrounding communes. It is located in the westernmost part of Romania, at the gateway of the Schengen free-movement Area toward the Occident. It was legally established in 2008 as an inter-community development association and is a member of the Federation of Metropolitan Areas and Urban Agglomerations in Romania (FZMAUR).

History The first attempts to create a metropolitan area appeared in 1999–2000, when Timișoara and six peri-urban communes in the first ring surrounding the city (Dumbrăvița, Ghiroda, Giroc, Moșnița Nouă, Săcălaz and Sânmihaiu Român) entered into a local partnership. The result of this partnership was the elaboration of a medium- and long-term "strategic concept of economic and social development". In 2004, Timiș County Council made a decision to establish the first Metropolitan Consultative Council.

The delimitation of the area of influence was approved by HCL no. 387/2008.

Geography The total area on which the Timișoara metropolitan area extends is 1,079.54 km2 – of which 129.27 km2 represent the administrative territory of Timișoara, and 950.27 km2 the area of influence of the city – occupying about 3.4% of the West development region and about 12.5% of Timiș County. Administration The Timișoara metropolitan area is administered by the Timișoara Growth Pole Intercommunity Development Association, led by a General Assembly, a Board of Directors and a General Manager. The General Assembly is the supreme governing body, composed of all members of the Association. The president of the Association is the mayor of Timișoara. The total number of representatives in the General Assembly is 31 members. The Board of Directors is the executive governing body of the Association, composed of the president of the Association and two members appointed by the General Assembly for a period of two years. Subdivisions The Timișoara metropolitan area includes an urban centre (Timișoara) and its area of influence, i.e. 14 communes (Becicherecu Mic, Bucovăț, Dudeștii Noi, Dumbrăvița, Ghiroda, Giarmata, Giroc, Moșnița Nouă, Orțișoara, Pișchia, Remetea Mare, Săcălaz, Sânmihaiu Român and Șag) with 35 villages. Name Population (2018 est.) Area (km2) Density (/km2) Timișoara 330,209 129.27 2,554 Becicherecu Mic 3,207 46.65 69 Bucovăț 1,894 32.52 58 Dudeștii Noi 3,509 53.93 65 Dumbrăvița 10,984 18.99 578 Ghiroda 7,188 34.13 211 Giarmata 7,469 71.51 104 Giroc 14,037 52.77 266 Moșnița Nouă 9,095 68.87 132 Orțișoara 4,655 145.63 32 Pișchia 3,165 123.61 26 Remetea Mare 2,639 72.89 36 Săcălaz 9,314 119.49 78 Sânmihaiu Român 7,685 75.26 102 Șag 3,631 34.02 107 Total 418,681 1,079.54 388 Given the accentuated polarization of the area and the continuous expansion of Timișoara and its suburbs, it was proposed to extend the metropolitan area with the following subdivisions: in the south – the communes of Liebling, Parța, Pădureni and Sacoșu Turcesc (possibly also Peciu Nou); in the east – the commune of Chevereșu Mare and the town of Recaș (possibly also the communes of Racovița and Topolovățu Mare and the town of Buziaș); in the north – the communes of Bogda, Fibiș and Sânandrei (possibly also Mașloc); in the west – the communes of Biled and Satchinez.

Demographics

According to the 2021 census, the population of the 15 administrative units totals 367,430 people, of whom 250,849 live in Timișoara.

According to the 2011 census, the resident population of the Timișoara metropolitan area was 387,604, 5.3% higher than previously reported in the 2002 census. The population of the metropolitan area represents 21.2% of the population of the West development region and 56.26% of the population of Timiș County. The majority of the population (82.38%) lives in Timișoara (319,279) and only 17.62% in the area of influence (68,325), given that the area of Timișoara represents about 12% of the area of the metropolitan area. The population growth was more pronounced in the peri-urban countryside than in Timișoara, the share of the city in the total population of the area decreasing by almost 4% between 2002–2011. In its extended area of influence, defined as the area that can be reached within a 60-minute drive from the city proper, live about 950,000 people. + Network of localities and population at the 2002 and 2011 censuses City/Commune Locality 2002 2011 Timișoara 317,660 319,279 Timișoara 317,660 319,279 Becicherecu Mic 2,417 2,853 Becicherecu Mic 2,417 2,853 Bucovăț 1,410 1,601 Bucovăț 1,150 1,318 Bazoșu Nou 260 283 Dudeștii Noi 2,395 3,179 Dudeștii Noi 2,395 3,179 Dumbrăvița 2,693 7,522 Dumbrăvița 2,693 7,522 Ghiroda 4,907 6,200 Ghiroda 3,499 4,605 Giarmata-Vii 1,408 1,595 Giarmata 5,407 6,502 Giarmata 4,405 5,210 Cerneteaz 1,002 1,292 Giroc 4,295 8,388 Giroc 2,291 5,652 Chișoda 2,004 2,736 Moșnița Nouă 4,298 6,203 Moșnița Nouă 1,450 2,833 Moșnița Veche 1,370 1,590 Urseni 1,151 1,315 Albina 279 386 Rudicica 48 79 Orțișoara 4,080 4,190 Orțișoara 2,256 2,289 Călacea 674 723 Seceani 595 590 Cornești 555 588 Pișchia 3,006 3,051 Pișchia 1,127 1,116 Bencecu de Sus 870 844 Murani 582 646 Bencecu de Jos 386 396 Sălciua Nouă 41 49 Remetea Mare 2,111 2,302 Remetea Mare 1,286 1,495 Ianova 825 807 Săcălaz 6,273 7,204 Săcălaz 3,758 4,596 Beregsău Mare 1,704 1,747 Beregsău Mic 811 861 Sânmihaiu Român 4,396 6,121 Sânmihaiu Român 1,788 2,805 Utvin 1,875 2,451 Sânmihaiu German 733 865 Șag 2,754 3,009 Șag 2,754 3,009

Economy Timișoara polarizes over 80% of the county's turnover and over 30% of the region's.

The city's economic profile, largely based on manufacturing, has encouraged the expansion of urban mass toward the larger metropolitan area. If between 1992–2012 Timișoara expanded by 13%, the metropolitan area expanded by about 18%. Some of the peri-urban localities have undergone a dramatic process of transformation. For example, during this period, Dumbrăvița expanded by 138%. Other localities expanded by 20%, 30% or 50%.

The area of influence has a mixed functional profile, generally dominated by the service sector. The villages in the immediate vicinity of the city – Ghiroda, Remetea Mare, Giroc – crossed or delimited by major roads (E70) and the villages in the vicinity of well-defined industrial areas of the city (Sânmihaiu Român) have micro-industrial areas, the industrial units located here having significant shares in the turnover of the locality (over 40%, even over 50% in the case of Giroc). In general, agriculture plays a minor role in the functional profile of the area of influence.

References