URBAN AGGLOMERATIONS IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT - STRATEGY AND FINANCING POSSIBILITIES

This article highlights the contribution of Local Action Groups and Metropolitan Areas in supporting economic development in large urban agglomerations, with reference to the financing of existing project portfolios at the level of local communities, offering solutions to stakeholders interested in improving the quality of life and tourism services. For each of the two associative structuries set up around Constanta we have highlighted their identities, the role of local communities in the territory where they are placed, the importance of strategy for local development in setting up portfolios of projects and financial options for those. We also presented the financing plans and lines that support the development and modernization of both the rural and the urban infrastructure. This article complements the studies conducted on urban areas with a point of view regarding the interference of local development strategies in their territory, with refrence to two types of entities: Metropolitan Area and Local Action Groups, concentrated around Constanta. The analysis performed in the context of the literature is a new perspective, which offers the possibility of generating a portofolio of development projects in urban areas, with multiple financing possibilities (national, European, international) and on different axes. The strictlytechnical documentation covers a topic known by authors who had the opportunity to work in the field and who used the most recent and original data known in the period 2012-2019.