Socio-economic and environmental indicators as determinants of interregional migration flows

Abstract

The foregoing analysis indicates that environmental factors are relevant elements in demographic models, since environmental conditions appear to be one of the determinants of migration behaviour. Environmental discrepancies can be considered as relevant motives for migration decisions. Furthermore, to a certain extent one may state that environmental quality can be enhanced by public investments in parks, recreation facilities, and so forth. Therefore, these indirect public instruments might be partially used as instruments to influence spatial migration patterns. At a lower spatial scale (for example, at an urban level) the previous statements hold also true. The decline of population in big cities and the resulting suburbanization indicate that environmental quality determines also the decision to migrate, supposed the original job can be maintained. Here the environmental factors are formed by residential conditions in big cities, public and private facilities, shopping centres, recreation facilities, and congestion. Given the foregoing conclusion, it is evident that a control of urban- suburban movements can only be realized, if in big cities many public investments are implemented in order to enchance environmental quality (cf. Nijkamp (1975b)). An improvement of urban quality of life is a necessary condition to control suburbanization and to stimulate a process of re-urbanization. Obviously, much more research is required to study these elements adequately. An integration of social, environmental and socio-economic indicators seems to open promising possibilities and challenges for applied research in the field of spatial mobility.