Metropolitan areas became the breeding ground for economic, political, and cultural concentration as well as for creativity and innovation. Therefore, sustainability within the urban dimension plays a crucial role in the overall success to attain the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and their targets under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015. Nevertheless, for cities, regions, or countries to monitor and measure their progress, there is a need for harmonized and reliable indicators. Consequently, the current study addresses sustainability on a local level by measuring the extent to which a Romanian metropolitan area achieves the SDGs agreed to in 2015 by the 193-member states of the United Nations. The paper analyses 16 out of the 17 SD (Sustainable Development) goals as the goal titled “Life below water” was not applicable. Relying on mainly quantitative data, we used the method of normalization and aggregation based on the arithmetic mean, which helped us to calculate the scores attained by each of the component localities of the metropolitan area within the SDGs and their overall SDG index. Next to this, the study combines the quantitative data analysis with a GIS (Geographic Information System) computer mapping technique. The results show that the municipality achieved the best results in the metropolitan area and a vertical development process from west to the east prevails. Measuring progress through a well-defined set of indicators and an optimization technique proved to be crucial in defining attainments’ levels within the metropolitan area.

In the event of any crisis, such as, in this case, the COVID-19 pandemic, new challenges arise, ranging from social and environmental phenomena to economic issues. One of the most affected economic sectors was the cultural one, especially independent artists, whose financial stability is usually inconsistent. The aim of this article was to test the immediate reactions of the cultural sector, both public and private, to the pandemic shock and, implicitly, to the restrictions imposed during the state of emergency in Romania (27 February–14 May 2020). By using grounded theory, 36 public documents of cultural stakeholders were coded and analyzed. All documents were identified in the Romanian online environment during the state of emergency. Based on the identified interrelationships, it was found that the independent contractors, self-employed workers in the creative-cultural sector, whether or not associated with NGOs or employees of public institutions, need financial and community support. However, the resilience of the cultural sector is conditioned by the creation of new multi-level policies for crisis management.

One of the economic sectors most affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic has been the cultural and creative industries, turning cultural workers into a financially vulnerable group. The purpose of this study was to identify some early forms of the resilience of cultural activity during the emergency period of the COVID-19 crisis. The engagement index of the users’ communities was evaluated through some metric indicators in social media, the transfer of cultural-creative activities in the online environment, and the content and impact of digital stories. A sample of 126 independent cultural spaces in Romania was assessed. To validate the content of the social media stories promoted by various independent cultural entities, interviews with the managers of several creative spaces were performed. During the emergency period, we noticed the intensification of the digital activity, with creative spaces switching their activities from on-site to online. The content of Facebook posts highlighted stories about their own activity, about the activity of other spaces, or those encouraging social campaigns. The resilience associated with the independent cultural and creative sector is more an individual adaptation than an organizational or collective adaptation. For instance, the online cultural performances were some of the emergent reactions to the COVID-19 crisis.

"Sustainable Metropolitan Development – Governance Challenges in Cluj Metropolitan Area. Nowadays the success of the urban management is largely dependent on the capacity to adopt efficient instruments that are able to deal with and adjust the complexity of urban systems to the necessities demanded under the ethos of sustainable development. Despite the various difficulties caused by the urbanization processes, there is also prospect to achieve progress in the creation of sustainable regions. Notwithstanding, sustainable development is dependent on whether the right tools and methods are used in the urban management practice. Therefore, in the paper we offer a review of the development challenges in the Cluj Metropolitan Area (CMA) and establish a framework for approaching sustainable metropolitan development from an integrated governance perspective. The mechanism relies on the fact that the territorial reality of urban sustainability can only be effective if addressed from a metropolitan perspective. The approach is analysed by the use of interviews with professional experts and public officials representing the CMA. The results show that a metropolitan wide vision, cooperation, leadership and community involvement are prerequisites of metropolitan sustainability. Keywords: urban planning, Cluj Metropolitan Area, integrated governance, sustainable development."

Annak ellenére, hogy a településmarketing vagy városmarketing egy aránylag új kutatási téma a tudományos világban, éveken át alkalmazták helyek, városok vagy akár nemzetek promotálására és fejlesztésére. A városmarketing az 1980-as évektől kezdődően került előtérbe, amikor a gyáripar hanyatlását követően új gazdasági tevékenységek jelentek meg, módosultak a városfejlesztés lehetőségei és a települések adottságai a versenyképesség mozgatóerejévé váltak. Ennek következtében a városmarketing nagyobb jelentőséget kapott és jelenleg már fontos részét képezi a városfejlesztési politikáknak és városmenedzsmentnek. De hogyan is történik a városmarketing a gyakorlatban? A folyamat jól észlelhető, főleg a volt ipari városok esetében, ahol gyakori törekvések irányulnak az elvesztett, hagyományos ipari tevékenységek okozta hátrányok megoldására, befektetések vonzása és a turizmus fejlesztése által. Egy klasszikus példa erre a folyamatra az Egyesült Királyság egyik legnagyobb városa, Manchester. A tanulmány röviden bemutatja a városmarketing elméleti hátterét, ennek szerepét a településfejlesztésben. A cikk ezután a városmarketing szerepét, eszközeit és megvalósítását vizsgálja Nagy-Manchester városrégióban. Mindezt a városvezetésben és a városmarketingben részt vevő szereplőkkel készített mélyinterjú-sorozat eredményeivel vetem össze. A kutatásból kiderül, hogy a városrégió szintje nehézségeket okoz az egységes márka kialakításában, a helyi márkázás szempontjából töredezett városfejlesztés észlelhető.

In recent years, the ongoing rapid urbanization increases the vulnerability of cities to the impacts of climate change and threatens the existence of environmental assets. Therefore, the sustainable development of urban areas has become a real challenge for local governments. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations (UN) is also an instrument that holds governments accountable to achieve the targets set within its framework. The purpose of this study is to analyze the condition and determine the progress towards achieving SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land) in the case of Cluj Metropolitan Area, Romania. Official statistical sources gave the base to our calculation and analysis, that were selected in terms of their availability and integrity on the level of local authorities situated in the study area. The results indicate that the CMA made a trifling progress in implementing both of the analyzed SDGs.