Abstract
Multifaceted demographic dynamics have shaped population growth in Mediterranean Europe, reflecting a metropolitan cycle from urbanization to re-urbanization. To assess the distinctive impact of economic downturns on population dynamics, the present study illustrates the results of an exploratory analysis that assesses urban expansion and rural decline at various temporal scales in Greece, a peripheral country in southeastern Europe. Statistical analysis based on multivariate exploratory techniques outlined the persistent increase of regional populations, evidencing the distinctive role of agglomeration/scale with urbanization and early suburbanization phases (1940–1980) and accessibility/amenities with late suburbanization and re-urbanization phases (1981–2019). Recession accompanied (and, in some way, consolidated) the decline of agglomeration economies, leading to counter-urbanization in some cases. As an indirect result of counter-urbanization, the population increased more rapidly in low-density coastal areas with moderate accessibility and tourism specialization. Consistently, settlement expansion has altered the persistent gap in central and peripheral locations. A polarized urban hierarchy centered on the capital city, Athens, was replaced with a more diffused growth of medium-sized cities and attractive rural locations, depicting a new development path for lagging countries in the European Union and other socioeconomic contexts worldwide.
Highlights
With economic downturns influencing population structures and consolidating a spatially polarized distribution of jobs and activities, the spatial outcomes of demographic transitions diverged largely in affluent societies [1,2,3,4]
By reconnecting applied economics to regional demography, results of this analysis shed light on the latent mechanisms underlying territorial disparities and local systems’ resilience. In this line of thinking, the present study identifies distinctive factors shaping population growth over different time windows
Going beyond traditional theories linking urbanization with scale/agglomeration economies, these findings suggest the importance of a comparative analysis of demographic processes aimed at confirming such trends
Summary
With economic downturns influencing population structures and consolidating a spatially polarized distribution of jobs and activities, the spatial outcomes of demographic transitions diverged largely in affluent societies [1,2,3,4]. Internal and international migrations, social impulses, urban cycles, enhanced volatility in land and housing prices—together with the progressive gentrification of inner cities and latent social filtering in peri-urban areas—were recognized as factors responsible for complex (and less predictable) patterns of population redistribution over larger areas [26,27,28] These forces have been investigated at different geographic levels, outlining (i) demographic dynamics that leverage heterogeneous impacts on population expansion under specific social contexts and (ii) economic processes influencing urban–rural demographic structures at wider spatial scales [29,30,31,32]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
