Strategic IDPs Assessement

Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) have
been introduced in Romania as a prerequisite for accessing
EU funds under the Regional Operational Program (ROP). The
IDPs designed for growth poles represent a specific category
of strategic planning documents as: 1) they need to be
considered within the frame of the national policy to whose
implementation they contribute; and 2) they represent a
first endeavor to think of development across functional
areas rather than confined to the administrative borders of
the main cities. The objectives of this report are: i) to
carry out a strategic evaluation of the seven IDPs and
assess how the current plans compare with the diagnostic of
the challenges identified in the work on urban development;
and ii) to provide clear recommendations for the improvement
of existing IDPs which will contribute to the elaboration of
the future generation of plans implemented during the next
programming period and will help improve the targeting of
investments to enhance their economic impact.