This study exposes approaches to "collective creativity"by adopting a regional needs assessment through the World Café method. A multidisciplinary team of researchers and stakeholders worked together to identify needs within the region by using the World Café method and enhancing participation in policy-making. The paper aims to describe regional needs assessment as a useful approach for studying demographic and migration challenges in the regions of Latvia. The formal outcomes of the project are policy recommendations which have been used for the elaboration of planning documents at the national, regional and local level. Moreover, this approach also fostered positive collaborative practices among scientists and policymakers, including scientists who come from various disciplines and found a common platform for the solution of problems.

Various economic, political and social developments influenced the development of the peat extraction industry in Latvia during the 20th century. In comparison with some other European countries, where peat had been used for the needs of the energy sector for several centuries, the development of peat industry in Latvia was somewhat different. The aim of this study was to find out the nature of the development of the peat industry based on an analysis of historical information and a comparison of advantages over other European countries. In order to understand the changes and factors influencing the development of the peat industry in Latvia, it was necessary to identify and evaluate peat extraction volumes, changes in peat use purposes and technologies, as well as factors influencing the industry’s development. A comparison of historical data on peat industry development in Latvia and in other European countries reveals a number of differences. Latvia was the first country in Europe to restructure peat extraction from using peat for energy to extracting and processing it for horticultural needs. Large amounts of peat were used for combustion in Latvia only for a relatively short time: between 1960 and 1990. Peat extraction decreased significantly in 1992 – a time when export markets were beginning to develop. Since 2003, more than 90% of extracted peat has been exported, mainly for the horticultural peat market.

This paper analyses the ageing of the population, which may become one of the most important social changes of the 21st century in the European Union. This work uses statistics from the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) of Latvia, as well as statistics prepared by the State Social Insurance Agency of Latvia (SSIA). The results suggest that t the economic development and the stabilisation of employment in Riga and Riga region in the second decade of the 21st century was ensured not by generational change or migration, but by the inclusion of members of the population who had previously been economically inactive into the labour market. This may lead to the conclusion that around 2030, the ageing of the population will become one of the most serious problems in Pieriga.

After the fall of socialism, the most pronounced changes in the spatial structure of the population have been caused by suburbanisation. These changes have been especially notable since the end of the transition period. Therefore, the aim of this research was to characterise the features of suburbanisation in the vicinity of Rīga after transition. Characteristics of suburbanisation were analysed based on the share of and number of people moving out of Rīga among all people moving. This was done for two periods – 2000 to 2011, and 2011 to 2019 – “the second of which has been less studied. The results showed that there were significant differences between the three share groups – a high proportion often went hand in hand with a large number of suburbanites. On the other hand, the differences between agglomeration and non-agglomeration areas were less clear-cut, as there were significant differences in the number of people previously living in Rīga and its changes, while there were no significant differences in the share for the first stage and share changes.

Research into tourism, a relatively new discipline, is developing, using theories and approaches from other disciplines. Extensive research is underway in Latvia on sites related to tragic historical events and death, including the use of Holocaust sites in tourism. In order to comprehensively study these dark heritage sites, previous studies related to cemeteries and death sites have been analysed. The aim of this article is to identify death sites as special places and as elements of the cultural landscape. The attitude of locals towards dark heritage sites cannot be understood without understanding the attitude towards death sites and cemeteries in the cultural context. This article gives an overview of existing research in necrography, summarising the geographical approaches used to characterise these particular sites. The studies already conducted in Latvia have been reviewed and the most relevant definitions of dark tourism and thanatourism have been identified. The main problems faced in including places of death and tragedy in tourism product promotions have been described, especially if they are related to tragic events such as the Holocaust. In conclusion, the main aspects and approaches to be used for further research into the use of Holocaust sites in tourism have been identified.

As a reflection of Latvian identity, the country’s rural landscapes are a living embodiment of both natural and cultural heritage, contributing to quality of life for local communities and serving as a magnetic pulling factor for international tourists. Traditional farmsteads (viensētas) are perceived as symbolic spaces which have developed gradually, especially since the 19th Century, through annual cycles of farm work alongside extensive farming. Yet their existence is threatened by the impact of transitional changes such as depopulation, globalisation, the non-competitive nature of traditional farming models, and changes in society and the lifestyle of young people. Many abandoned farmsteads are disappearing under large areas of cropland or forest, and some newly built private houses do not have a connection with the traditional rural landscape. The aim of this study is to explore the way that perceptions of farmsteads and rural landscapes have changed over time within local communities. This is done by comparing representations of countryside landscape ideals in the media from 1920 to 1940 and perceptions of farmsteads as an element of countryside landscapes within local rural communities today (<12 % of the population of Latvia lived on a farmstead in 2019). The findings show that in the period when most people lived in the countryside, a particular kind of idealised rural landscape was often visually represented in the mainstream media, strengthening stereotypes about symbolic landscapes. These concepts are still strongly rooted in the perceptions of current rural inhabitants and there was consensus among respondents about the elements which are associated with high-quality rural landscapes. Although the daily routines of the traditional farmstead today have been changed by a number of factors and many elements of the rural landscape have lost their functionality, symbolism — including the iconic image of separate family farmsteads — helps to maintain a continuing metanarrative of national identity, creating nostalgic ties which lead many to have a preference for living in the countryside, holding perceptions about the availability of various ecosystem services next door which will improve their quality of life.

Riga stands out within Latvia as a significant pool of economic and education-related opportunities. Students and young people are traditionally more mobile and move towards destinations where self-advancement is accessible. Thus, this study aims to describe the human capital disequilibria in the regions of Latvia by analysing youth in the age group from 15 to 34 years and making a comparison between the years 2011 and 2018. The backbone of the study is an analysis of changes in regional unemployment rates and changes in the number of young people in certain regions outside the capital, as well as the general trend for the proportion of young people to decrease in some regions since 2011. The main research questions addressed are: how can the core-periphery model be applied to the regions of Latvia, and to what extent do economic opportunities explain regional inequality? The results indicate that Riga is a core, geographically, and the functionally related regions of Pieriga and Zemgale are semi-peripheral regions. However, the regions of Vidzeme, Latgale and Kurzeme are “places of lower rank” or peripheral regions, which are losing young people in the competition both with the core areas within the country and with other attractive destinations abroad.

While there are studies on differences between traditional Spanish and Latin American Spanish, they tend to either compare Castilian Spanish to one national variation in Latin America (e.g. Mexican Spanish) or assume that the whole region of Latin America is rather linguistically homogenous. This research aims to provide a brief insight into differences between variations of the Spanish language spoken in different countries in Latin America, comparing three local dialects: Mexican, Venezuelan and Chilean. Qualitative content analysis and the comparative method were applied to conduct the research. The findings suggest that there are differences in grammar usage and lexicon between different countries. While phenomena like anglicisms and changing prepositions were detected in all local dialects, Mexican Spanish stood out in terms of grammar, and Mexican and Venezuelan Spanish vocabulary showed specific local expressions.

This study exposes approaches to "collective creativity"by adopting a regional needs assessment through the World Café method.A multidisciplinary team of researchers and stakeholders worked together to identify needs within the region by using the World Café method and enhancing participation in policy-making.The paper aims to describe regional needs assessment as a useful approach for studying demographic and migration challenges in the regions of Latvia.The formal outcomes of the project are policy recommendations which have been used for the elaboration of planning documents at the national, regional and local level.Moreover, this approach also fostered positive collaborative practices among scientists and policymakers, including scientists who come from various disciplines and found a common platform for the solution of problems.