Determinants and Characteristics of Socio-Demographically Fragile Rural and Urban Areas in the Trascău Mountains, Romania

Recent studies in the Romanian Western Carpathians have revealed increasing socio-demographic fragility in rural areas and small towns, driven by depopulation, population aging, and declining living standards. These trends stem from the legacy of forced collectivization and industrialization (1950–1990) and the post-1990 transition, which triggered extensive out-migration and the erosion of local socio-economic structures. This study examines the fragility of human communities in the Trascău Mountains in order to evaluate spatial, demographic, and economic recovery dynamics and to assess settlement vulnerability as a major obstacle to sustainable regional development. Fragility was measured using indicators of population density and change, age structure, accessibility, and socio-demographic dynamics, based on comparative data for the interval of 1977–2021. These variables were integrated into a composite development index (Id), derived from twelve indicators covering demography, economy, infrastructure, and living standards, enabling the hierarchical classification of settlements by degree of vulnerability. The methodological framework combines empirical and analytical methods, statistical, cartographic, bibliographic, and field-based analyses within evolutionary, structural–functional, and typological perspectives. The results identify the main drivers of decline, quantify their impacts, and outline development prospects and policy directions for reducing territorial disparities. Overall, fragile settlements emerge as critical pressure points that undermine sustainability, intensify regional instability, and increase risks related to migration and social cohesion.