Mezei István: Urban development in Slovakia (Pécs-Somorja, 2010)

5. Regional organization in Slovakia

Regional organization in Slovakia

Figure 21. Highly developed urban gravitation areas and backward districts in Slovakia

1 - development centre, 2 - towns and cities growing together, 3 - underdeveloped district Edited by István Mezei, drawn by Máté Mády.

The urban characteristics described in the present paper determine certain cities and towns as the main centres of development in Slovakia (Figure 21). There are four pairs of towns whose simultaneous development already shows signs of the emergence of economic regions of utmost importance. The most important pair of cities is, of course, Bratislava, the capital city (and its environs) and the nearby Trnava. Another pair is Košice and Prešov, the only centres of development in the east. As a result of conscious planning, the Banská Bystrica-Zvolen town pair emerges in the middle of the country and Žilina-Martin in the Váh Valley. Besides these, only Trenčín and Nitra represent a breakthrough, an economic and gravitation centre. Slovak professional literature regards strengthening administrative, educational and economic service providing functions (trade, finance) as the basis for the increased importance of towns and cities (Slavik- Kožuch- Báčik 2005).

The areas outside the towns and cities listed above are less developed or backward. They are primarily districts that can partly be regard-138