VULNERABILITY GRADIENTS AND SPATIAL PATTERNS IN THE GREEK RURAL SPACE: DETECTING REQUIRING SMART SERVICES

Abstract

In Greece, rural depopulation is observed over time, reflecting a particularly unbalanced population distribution. In recent years, however, the economic crisis is leading to rapidly decreasing rates of urbanization, and relative revitalization of some rural areas. Considering the above, there is therefore the question of the resilience and attractiveness of rural areas, especially marginalized ones. The fundamental objective for ensuring their sustainability is the possibility of addressing the key social and economic needs of the local population, thus contributing to a minimum level of social integration and improvement of living standards. The main purpose of the present study is to introduce a typology for the marginalized rural areas in Greece, applied to the local administrative spatial level and more specifically to detect among those, the most vulnerable requiring the implementation of smart services. Based on the acknowledgment of territorial heterogeneity, the analysis is defined by a multidimensional data warehouse. In particular, spatial, societal, environmental, and cultural marginalities define the corresponding data collected. Multicriteria Analysis (Explanatory Factor analysis, Hierarchical analysis and Discriminant analysis) and spatial tools (GIS) identified the main types (spatial patterns) of Greek marginalized local administrative units. The implementation of this methodological tool aims at the evaluation and classification of the needs of local societies. The proposed research is an innovative approach to Greek data, in terms of scientific contribution to the identification of rural areas with new criteria and the emergence of smart services as rural resilience tools.