Urbanism Strategies for development metropolitan areas. Case Study of the Galati Metropolitan Area • F. M. Buhociu, A. Zugravu 3 STRATEGIES FOR DEVELOPMENT METROPOLITAN AREAS. CASE STUDY ABOUT CONFIGURATION OF THE GALATI METROPOLITAN AREA Florin Marian BUHOCIU Professor PhD, Low Danube University of Galati e-mail: florin.buhociu@ugal.ro Adrian ZUGRAVU Lecturer PhD, Low Danube University of Galati e-mail: adrian.zugravu@ugal.ro Abstract. Economic and social development of each locality and finally, of human communities that live here, depends increasingly on the ways of their internal organizing but also on becoming closer with social partners in the area(s) concerned. It is increasingly important that each locality (territorial administrative unit, TAU) solve multiple problems of ensuring development conditions through various strategies and policies of cooperation and association. These may represent a real support and vector for sustainable development of several TAU, capitalizing new forms of territorial development. Our paper aims to present some strategies that can capitalize the benefits of a territorial structure as the Metropolitan Area. We mention those of urban-rural partnership, the associative kind and those of cooperation between localities belonging to the same territorial structures/ regions. These strategies have been customized by a study on setting up a possible Galati Metropolitan Area. Based on the analysis performed at the territorial scale proposals were made concerning its territorial delimitation, in two variants, the ring 1 and ring 2. A map of the county Galati was made, marking variants proposed to configure the Metropolitan Area. Key words: Metropolitan Area, urban-rural partnership, cooperation and association, Intercommunity Development Association, development poles. 1. Introduction Transformation of the national economy, and European lead to rethinking the role of cities in regional and national economy as growth engines for the areas around them and thus to a reconsideration of polarized system and the urban-rural hierarchy. At this point the position of cities in regional and international competition has become crucial and politicians have had to adopt an entrepreneurial attitude in their government, focusing on promoting the image by attracting grants, improving competitive advantage, encouraging economic activities and providing support for existing firms to become more competitive, in a word, on performance. Development of rural-urban relations problem has been the subject of research in