10MUNICIPALITYINTRODUCTIONThe concept of sustainable development was definedin the “Our common future” report of the UnitedNations Commission for Environment andDevelopment (UNCED) as the “development whichmeets the needs of the present without compromisingthe ability of future generations to meet their ownneeds”. Development and the environment are closelyinterconnected, and the improvement of livingstandards must be accomplished within the limits ofthe life-sustaining natural systems. As such,sustainable development is more of a process ofchange rather than a goal in itself. The concept of“sustainable development” was agreed upon at theRio de Janeiro Conference in 1992, where more than170 states endorsed an international action plan forglobal development in the <strong>21</strong> st century. The plan,known as the Agenda <strong>21</strong>, is currently beingimplemented in Romania, among other countries.Giurgiu is one of the nine Romanian pilot cities, whichhave been working on local strategies for sustainabledevelopment since 2000. The National Centre forSustainable Development in Bucharest supportsefforts at local level as part of the ROM 98/012project of the United Nations DevelopmentProgramme.Drafting of the final strategy for sustainabledevelopment assumes the completion of severaldistinct stages. First of all, an assessment of thesocial and economic systems is carried out andthen a list of objectives and potential scenarios areidentified. The latter will result in policies and policyapproaches, which will further on set the fundamentsfor the Action Plan. A portfolio of projects willeventually be compiled in order to attract potentialinvestors.The local community - business people, managers,NGOs, labour unions, professional associations,citizens - reacted positively to this initiative andengaged in communication and consultations with theLocal Agenda <strong>21</strong> representatives. Elaboration of theagenda is fundamental to Giurgiu Municipality andprovides a chance for achieving better living standardsin the community, and also for promoting publicparticipation in decision-making processes.Local residents have arrived at the commonly heldbelief that only together can people build thefuture. Inter-communal communication andconsultation resulted in well-structured objectives andscenarios, which will provide the fundamentals for the<strong>LOCAL</strong> ACTION <strong>PLAN</strong>.
11GIURGIUI. ASSESSMENT OF THE SOCIAL ANDECONOMIC SYSTEMSI.1. NATURAL SYSTEMI.1.1. LOCATIONGiurgiu Municipality, the capital of the same-namedcounty, is located in the southern part of the country,in the meadow of the left bank of the Danube River, ataltitudes of 23-26 m. The 45 0 53’ N. parallel and 25 0 59’E. meridian run through the city, at 4’ 43” latitude and9’ <strong>21</strong>” longitude.The city is located 64 km from the capital of Romania,on the Bucharest-Sofia-Athens or Bucharest-Istanbulcorridors. The Danube provides Giurgiu with fluvialconnection to the Black Sea and the Northern Sea.The pan-European railway, which starts in Ostende,runs through Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Brasov,Bucharest, Giurgiu, Sofia, and Istanbul or Salonictowards Athens.and sporadically into table meadows. All thesegeological formations lie longitudinally and areunequally structured. Sandbanks occupy an areaalong the minor section of the riverbed; their heightranges between 1-5 m, and the length varies fromseveral dozens to a hundred metres.Following a transitional land stripe, the lower region ofdepressions and water basins extends north. Someother random stripes can be seen here, at the point ofcontact with the terraces of the older riverbed. The firstterrace lies at 3-4 m above the meadow, followed by asecond one at altitudes of 13-14 m. Finally, thehighest formation - Burnazului Plain - is 60-65 m highand overlooks the river meadow. Alluvial deposits are15-35 m thick and composed of two units withcomplex geomorphology: the lower gravel and sandsoils, and the upper clay and sand stratapredominantly. Within city limits, the meadow is 20-27m high and is systematised on most segments foragricultural purposes. Close to Giurgiu, channelsconstructed on streams tributary to the Danube areused for navigation, agriculture or tourist activities.I.1.2. TOPOGRAPHYOver time, the Danube River has gradually withdrawnfrom terraces on the left bank, near Giurgiu. Theterrain looks flat compared to the varied landscape onthe right bank of the stream. Erosion phenomenabegan around the end of the Middle Quaternary anddirected the river flow towards the south. Along theprocess, a network of water channels and ponds wereformed on the old riverbed.The municipality lies in a region that has the mostrecent geomorphology, consisting of meadows, islets,ponds and water channels, mostly resulted from thenatural relocation of the Danube (during the Holoceneperiod). The area between the river and theBurnazului Plain has breadths of up to 10 km, and isdivided into sand banks, inner and outer meadows,I.1.3. CLIMATEGiurgiu has a continental climate characterised bycold winters and hot summers, and by sharptemperature contrasts from daytime to night time andfrom summer to winter (among the most severetemperature differences in the country). The averageannual temperature is 11.5ºC. During the month ofJuly, the average temperature is above 23ºC, and inJanuary fluctuates between 1.5ºC and –5.4ºC. Solarpower exceeds 125kcal/cm 2 and causes a tropical-likeclimate for a period of more then 60 days in the year.The continental aspect refers to rainfalls as well; theaverage annual rainfall is 500-600 ml/m 2 . Highlyinconsistent rainfall causes dry weather and draughtalmost all year long.