A Science-Based Framework for Sustainable Urban Planning in Mid-Sized Cities. Case Study: Fălticeni Municipality in Northeastern Romania

This research aims to analyse the dynamic of land use structure in Fălticeni municipality over a four-decade period, examining the impact of major political, socio-economic and demographic transitions between 1985, 2006 and 2025. The shift from the centrally planned system to a free market economy, the installation of a democratic regime, the subsequent integration of Romania into the European Union, and the major adjustments in migration and natural population growth patterns created a context for largely unreg-ulated urban sprawl, mainly to the detriment of agricultural land and natural landscapes. Moreover, the recent expansion of the city encompassed terrains with varying degrees of geomorphological vulnerability, some of which are affected by active slope processes and increased susceptibility to landsliding. Alongside geodynamic pressures, the urban body has long faced internal functional challenges, including the presence of extensive aban-doned industrial perimeters, and a severe deficit of forested land and proper green areas. By correlating the recent urban spatial and functional evolution with physical vulnerabil-ity indicators, the study demonstrates the need for integrated planning and seeks to pro-vide a framework for the management of urban growth tailored for medium-sized cities. The proposed solutions are rooted in the results yielded by the analyses of land use dy-namics and susceptibility to natural risks, and focus on ecological zoning and controlled expansion on secure terrains; the functional redevelopment of brownfields into residen-tial, commercial and recreational areas; the establishment of peri-urban forests fulfilling multiple functions, including risk mitigation and enhanced benefits for local communi-ties; and correlating the design and execution of essential infrastructure such as the urban bypass with rigorous risk assessments, thus providing a sound methodological approach for sustainable urban planning which can be replicated for cities facing similar challenges.