DIVERGENT URBAN TRAJECTORIES IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE: A COMPLEX TYPOLOGY OF SMALL TOWNS IN BULGARIA AND HUNGARY

The current study aims to develop a comparative typology of small towns in Bulgaria and Hungary in order to explore the spatial differentiation of their demographic, urbanistic, and socio-economic trajectories.A set of 21 indicators divided into 5 groups (demographic, urbanistic, infrastructural, socioeconomic, and administrative-functional) was used for classification.As a result, six clusters are identified by applying the Partitioning Around Medoids (PAM) clustering procedure.After determining the number of towns included in every cluster, a brief analysis was provided describing their strengths and weaknesses according to the mentioned indicators.The typology reveals substantial internal differentiation within both national contexts.Bulgarian towns form five clusters, including a unique outlier dominated by tourism-driven dynamics, while Hungarian towns are represented in all six clusters, with one cluster comprising exclusively Hungarian settlements.The findings demonstrate that small towns in Bulgaria