STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT IN DEVA-HUNEDOARA CONURBATION USING ‟RIAM METHOD” – PRELIMINARY RESULTS

Abstract

Deva-Hunedoara conurbation is a bipolar structure located in central-western Romania composed of 49 settlements. It is located in the center of Hunedoara County at the crossroad of major transport networks. With a remarkable diversity of natural factors and a high share of human and economic activities, the area creates different types of impacts on the environment. The potential impacts derive from the rich industrial activity, day to day human activities, transport, commerce, constructions, etc. In assessing the environmental impact within the conurbation we used the RIAM method with a modified matrix, suited for our area of study. For each of the 49 settlements we analyzed the environmental impact of 37 components coupled in 4 major categories: physical and geographical components, biological and ecological components, land use and socio-cultural components and economic and operational components. For the final interpretation and representation of the environmental impact we used the IDWIM - Inverse Distance Weight Interpolation Method to generate maps of impact.