Natural population growth and urban management in metropolitan regions: Insights from pre-crisis and post-crisis Athens, Greece

Urban Studies ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 004209802110350
Author(s):  
Sabato Vinci ◽  
Gianluca Egidi ◽  
Rosanna Salvia ◽  
Antonio Gimenez Morera ◽  
Luca Salvati

Between the 1970s and the 1990s, cities in Southern Europe experienced a progressive delocalisation of population, settlements and activities over larger regions. Economic downturns have increasingly influenced more recent waves of metropolitan growth, shaping differentiated patterns of urban change. While some cities evolved towards accelerated population dynamics in central districts responding to re-urbanisation impulses, other agglomerations were intrinsically bounded in a sort of ‘late suburbanisation’, with demographic shrinkage of both inner districts and rural areas, and uneven expansion of suburban population. By providing a comprehensive interpretation of the socioeconomic mechanisms underlying recent urban expansion, this study illustrates a diachronic analysis of population dynamics over multiple spatial scales and time frames in a metropolitan region of Southern Europe (Athens, Greece) between 1999 and 2019. Natural population balance was investigated vis à vis selected territorial indicators using descriptive, inferential and multivariate statistics. Results of the analysis identify different social forces underlying suburban population growth during economic expansion (2000s) and recession (2010s), evidencing a distinctive response of local communities to economic downturns that depends mostly on the background context (affluent versus disadvantaged neighbourhoods). Given the multiplicity of territorial dimensions involved in urban growth, our findings highlight how economic downturns distinctively shape metropolitan development based on locally differentiated demographic dynamics.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1052
Author(s):  
Rares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir ◽  
Gianluca Egidi ◽  
Rosanna Salvia ◽  
Luca Salvati ◽  
Adele Sateriano ◽  
...  

Fertility is a spatially non-stationary property of regional demographic systems. Despite the wealth of quantitative (micro–macro) information delineating short-term population dynamics in advanced economies, the contribution of economic downturns to local fertility has still been under-investigated along urban–rural gradients, especially in low-fertility contexts. Recent studies have assumed suburban fertility rates as systematically higher than urban and rural fertility rates. This assumption (hereafter known as the “suburban fertility hypothesis”) has been grounded on stylized facts and spatial regularities in advanced economies that reflect a significant role of both macro (contextual) and micro (behavioral) factors that positively influence fertility in suburban locations. To test the suburban fertility hypothesis at the macro-scale, the present study compares gross fertility rates from seven regional units of the Athens metropolitan area between 1991 and 2018. A refined spatial analysis of gross fertility rates during an economic expansion (1999–2008) and recession (2009–2018) was carried out in 115 urban, suburban, and rural municipalities of the same area. Experiencing sequential waves of economic expansion and recession, Athens’ socio-demographic dynamics were considered a sort of “quasi-experiment” for Southern Europe, linking late suburbanization with the multiple impacts of (rapid) economic downturns. Compared with both urban and rural locations, a higher fertility rate in suburban municipalities (15–20 km away from downtown Athens) was observed during the study period. However, a subtle distinction was observed during the economic expansion versus the recession. In the first period, the highest birth rates were recorded in industrial locations west of Athens, hosting economically disadvantaged communities with a relatively young population structure. With the recession, the highest fertility was associated with residential and service-specialized (wealthier) locations east of Athens, attracting resident population from neighboring areas, and better responding to crisis. The results of our study document how recent urban expansion and economic downturns have intrinsically shaped fertility dynamics, with implications for urban sustainability and social cohesion of metropolitan regions.


2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thiago Hérick de Sá ◽  
Rafael Henrique Moraes Pereira ◽  
Ana Clara Duran ◽  
Carlos Augusto Monteiro

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To present national estimates regarding walking or cycling for commuting in Brazil and in 10 metropolitan regions. METHODS By using data from the Health section of 2008’s Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílio (Brazil’s National Household Sample Survey), we estimated how often employed people walk or cycle to work, disaggregating our results by sex, age range, education level, household monthly income per capita, urban or rural address, metropolitan regions, and macro-regions in Brazil. Furthermore, we estimated the distribution of this same frequency according to quintiles of household monthly income per capita in each metropolitan region of the country. RESULTS A third of the employed men and women walk or cycle from home to work in Brazil. For both sexes, this share decreases as income and education levels rise, and it is higher among younger individuals, especially among those living in rural areas and in the Northeast region of the country. Depending on the metropolitan region, the practice of active transportation is two to five times more frequent among low-income individuals than among high-income individuals. CONCLUSIONS Walking or cycling to work in Brazil is most frequent among low-income individuals and the ones living in less economically developed areas. Active transportation evaluation in Brazil provides important information for public health and urban mobility policy-making


Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianluca Egidi ◽  
Rares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir ◽  
Sirio Cividino ◽  
Giovanni Quaranta ◽  
Luca Salvati ◽  
...  

Mediterranean regions have experienced a shift from accelerated urban growth typical of a post-industrial phase to a more recent spatial delocalization of population and economic activities reflecting discontinuous settlement expansion, land take, and the abandonment of cultivated areas around central cities. On the basis of a comprehensive analysis of land-use, settlement, and demographic indicators, the present study explores urban growth and population density over a sufficiently long time period in a metropolitan region of Southern Europe (Rome, Italy). Local-scale population trends were compared with the evolution of the primary sector (workers in agriculture, number of farms, cultivated land) between 1951 and 2011. Our results indicate non-linear growth waves alternating compact and discontinuous expansion shaping fringe land. The future development of metropolitan regions is increasingly dependent on the relationship between urban diffusion and economic viability of peri-urban agriculture. Crop abandonment and land take rates increase in local contexts where peri-urban agriculture rapidly declines. Policies managing ex-urban development and promoting the recovery of fringe soils are increasingly required to contain the expansion of dispersed settlements and preserve relict agricultural systems from land conversion to urban use.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (01) ◽  
pp. 282-308
Author(s):  
Rogério Augusto Figueiredo Coutinho ◽  
Antônio Dimas Cardoso ◽  
Simone Narciso Lessa

O ordenamento e planejamento territorial dos municípios vêm sofrendo intensas e profundas mudanças, seja pela imposição das forças produtivas e do capital, ou ainda pela necessidade de se adotar novos arranjos territoriais que atendam determinadas necessidades e particularidades locais, trazendo na sua esteira transformações de ordem socioeconômicas e ambientais, levando a vários tipos de investimento em planejamento com abordagens diferenciadas. O último processo de planejamento da Região Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte, qual seja, o Plano Diretor de Desenvolvimento Integrado da Região Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte (PDDI-RMBH, 2009/2011), e o seu respectivo Macrozoneamento (MZ-RMBH, 2014), apontaram para a evidenciação da ocorrência de alguns processos socioespaciais desencadeados a partir de ações governamentais estruturantes, como é o caso do município de Confins, que já alterou toda sua legislação específica para estabelecer que o perímetro urbano, tal como definido no Plano Diretor vigente (Lei Complementar nº 012/2009), corresponde à totalidade das divisas municipais. Transformou, pois, todas as áreas/zonas rurais em áreas/zonas urbanas ou de expansão urbana. Buscou-se com esse estudo entender em que medida esse processo realizado em Confins foi derivado de disputas entre os vários interesses implicados na formação e no planejamento da Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte. A justificativa do trabalho consistiu na importância de, por meio do estudo e análise dos efeitos desse processo de territorialização do município de Confins, jogar luz sobre o papel do Aeroporto (AITN), da pressão imposta pela implantação da Cidade Administrativa e do Vetor Norte, desembocando, em tese, na supressão dos espaços rurais, e, via de consequência, na produção dos correlatos espaços urbanos. Palavras-chave: metrópole, lugar, território, aeroporto, Confins, região metropolitana.   (TRANS)TRAINING OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CONFINS AND ITS TERRITORIAL PLANNING ABSTRACT The planning and territorial planning of municipalities are undergoing intense and profound changes, either by the imposition of productive forces and capital, or by the need to adopt new territorial arrangements that meet certain local needs and particularities, bringing in its wake socioeconomic transformations And environmental, leading to various types of planning investment with differentiated approaches. The last planning process of the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte, namely the Integrated Development Master Plan of the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte (PDDI-RMBH, 2009/2011), and its respective Macrozoneamento (MZ-RMBH), pointed to The evidence of the occurrence of some socio-spatial processes triggered by structural governmental actions, as is the case of the municipality of Confins, which has already changed all its specific legislation to establish that the urban perimeter, as defined in the current Master Plan (Complementary Law No. 012 / 2009), corresponds to the totality of the municipal currencies. It has thus transformed all rural areas / areas into urban areas or areas of urban expansion. This study sought to understand to what extent this process carried out in Confins was derived from disputes between the various interests involved in the formation and planning of the Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte. The justification of this work was the importance of studying the effects of this process of territorialization in the city of Confins, to shed light on the role of the Airport (AITN), the pressure imposed by the implementation of the Administrative City and the North Vector, Leading to the suppression of rural spaces, and consequently, in the production of related urban spaces. Keywords: metropolis, place, territory, airport, Confins, metropolitan region.   (TRANS)FORMACIÓN DEL MUNICIPIO DE CONFINS Y SU PLANIFICACIÓN TERRITORIAL RESUMEN El ordenamiento y planificación territorial de los municipios vienen sufriendo intensos y profundos cambios, sea por la imposición de las fuerzas productivas y del capital, o por la necesidad de adoptar nuevos arreglos territoriales que atiendan determinadas necesidades y particularidades locales, trayendo en su estera transformaciones de orden socioeconómicas y ambientales, llevando a varios tipos de inversión en planificación con enfoques diferenciados. El último proceso de planificación de la Región Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte, es decir, el Plan Director de Desarrollo Integrado de la Región Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte (PDDI-RMBH, 2009/2011), y su respectivo Macrozoneamiento (MZ-RMBH, 2014), se ha señalado para la evidencia de la ocurrencia de algunos procesos socioespaciales desencadenados a partir de acciones gubernamentales estructurantes, como es el caso del municipio de Confins, que ya alteró toda su legislación específica para establecer que el perímetro urbano, tal como se define en el Plan Director vigente (Ley Complementar nº 012/2009), corresponde a la totalidad de las divisas municipales. Transformó, pues, todas las áreas / zonas rurales en áreas / zonas urbanas o de expansión urbana. Se buscó con ese estudio entender en qué medida ese proceso realizado en Confins fue derivado de disputas entre los diversos intereses implicados en la formación y en la planificación de la Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte. La justificación del trabajo consistió en la importancia de, a través del estudio y análisis de los efectos de ese proceso de territorialización del municipio de Confins, arrojar luz sobre el papel del Aeropuerto (AITN), de la presión impuesta por la implantación de la Ciudad Administrativa y del Vector Norte, desembocando, en tesis, en la supresión de los espacios rurales, y, por consiguiente, en la producción de los correlatos espacios urbanos. Palabras clave: metrópoli, lugar, territorio, aeropuerto, Confins, región metropolitana.


Author(s):  
N. S. Sumari ◽  
Z. Shao ◽  
M. Huang ◽  
C. A. Sanga ◽  
J. L. Van Genderen

This paper presents some preliminary results from research on monitoring the urban growth of Shenzhen in China. Agriculture is still the pillar of national economies in many countries including China. Thus, agriculture contributes to population growth. Population growth follows either exponential or logistic growth models. These models can be examined using a time-series of geospatial data, mainly historical earth observation imagery from satellites such as LANDSAT. Such multitemporal data may provide insights into settlement analysis as well as on population dynamics and hence, quantify the loss of agricultural land. In this study, LANDSAT data of ten dates, at approximately five yearly intervals from 1977 to 2017 were used. The remote sensing techniques used for analysis of data for 40 years were image selection, then followed by geometric and radiometric corrections and mosaicking. Also, classification, remote sensing image fusion, and change detection methods were used. This research extracted the information on the amount, direction, and speed of urbanization, and hence, the number of hectares of agricultural land lost due to urban expansion. Several specific elements were used in the descriptive model of landscape changes and population dynamics of the city of Shenzhen in China. These elements are: i) quantify the urban changes, from a small town (37.000 people in the early 1970’s) to the megalopolis of around 20 million habitants today. ii) Examining the rate of urban extension on the loss of agricultural landscape and population growth. iii) The loss of food production was analysed against the economic growth in the region. iv) The aspects of loss of agricultural land, area of built-up urban land, and increase in population are studied quantitatively, by the temporal analysis of earth observation geospatial data. The experimental results from this study show that the proposed method is effective in determining loss of agricultural land in any city due to urbanization. It can be used by town planner and other stakeholders such as land surveyors and agriculture experts to mitigate the mushrooming of unplanned settlements in many town / villages and loss of land for agriculture which might cause problems in food security.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 11293
Author(s):  
Antonio Tomao ◽  
Walter Mattioli ◽  
David Fanfani ◽  
Carlotta Ferrara ◽  
Giovanni Quaranta ◽  
...  

Globally, processes that drive urbanization have mostly evolved within economic downturns. Economic crises have been more severe and frequent, particularly in the Mediterranean region. However, studies on the recession effects on urbanization are limited. The present study explores possible differences in spatial direction and intensity of land-use change trajectories at two time intervals (2006–2012, 2012–2018) using high-resolution Copernicus Land Urban Atlas images in the Rome metropolitan area. To this aim, a landscape ecology classical approach based on land-use metric analysis combined with a multivariate spatial analysis has been carried out. Results have identified different land-use change patterns during expansion and recession. “Greening”, defined as the conversion of urban marginal areas into croplands and forests, increased during the recession. At the same time, the rate of urban expansion into rural areas decreased, thus indicating a beneficial effect of economic downturns in reducing urban sprawl.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (15) ◽  
pp. 6165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosanna Salvia ◽  
Gianluca Egidi ◽  
Luca Salvati ◽  
Jesús Rodrigo-Comino ◽  
Giovanni Quaranta

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.


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 62-80
Author(s):  
João Victor Mariano da Silva ◽  
Raquel Landim Nascimento ◽  
Marcelo Martins de Moura Fé

A geodiversidade, tratando-se dos elementos naturais abióticos do planeta possibilitaram o desenvolvimento das sociedades ao fornecer recursos naturais, garantindo ainda a sustentabilidade da biodiversidade. Dessa forma, estratégias de conservação vêm sendo desenvolvidas para conhecer, valorizar e proteger esse patrimônio natural. A Região Metropolitana do Cariri (RMC), Ceará, instituída em de 2009, é composta por 9 municípios que apresentam consideráveis índices de crescimento populacional, correlatos níveis de expansão urbana e ocupação de áreas outrora classificáveis como ambientalmente conservadas, dotadas de significativa geodiversidade. Neste contexto, o objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar e discutir um inventário da geodiversidade presente na RMC, etapa sine qua non para a proposição de estratégias de geoconservação específicas e exequíveis. Metodologicamente, em gabinete foram realizadas análises e levantamentos bibliográficos e cartográficos sobre as temáticas e a RMC. Em campo foram identificadas áreas significativas dentro de cada município e, por fim, em laboratório, sendo cartografados os dados de campo em consonância com as análises de gabinete. Assim, apresenta-se um inventário da geodiversidade da RMC, o qual, discutido e retrabalhado, poderá subsidiar novas estratégias para sua geoconservação.Palavras-chave: Patrimônio Natural. Geoconservação. Ceará. ABSTRACTGeodiversity, dealing with the abiotic natural elements of the planet, which enabled the development of societies by providing natural resources, guaranteeing the sustainability of biodiversity. In this way, conservation strategies have been developed to know, value and protect this natural heritage. The Metropolitan Region of Cariri (RMC), Ceará, established in 2009, is composed of 9 municipalities that present significant levels of population growth, related levels of urban expansion and occupancy of areas formerly classified as environmentally conserved, endowed with significant geodiversity. In this context, the objective of this work is to present and discuss an inventory of geodiversity present in the RMC, a sine qua non step for proposing specific and feasible geoconservation strategies. Methodologically, in the office were carried out analyzes and bibliographical and cartographic surveys on the themes and the RMC. Methodologically, in the office were carried out analyzes and bibliographical and cartographic surveys on the themes and the RMC. In the field, significant areas were identified within each municipality and, finally, in the laboratory, the field data are being mapped in line with the analysis of the cabinet. Thus, an inventory of the geodiversity of the RMC is presented, which, discussed and reworked, may support new strategies for its geoconservation.Keywords: Natural Heritage. Geoconservation. Ceará. RESUMENLa geodiversidad, al ser los elementos naturales abióticos del planeta, permitió el desarrollo de sociedades al proporcionar recursos naturales, al tiempo que garantizaba la sostenibilidad de la biodiversidad. Por lo tanto, se han desarrollado estrategias de conservación para conocer, valorar y proteger este patrimonio natural. La Región Metropolitana de Cariri (RMC), Ceará, establecida en 2009, está compuesta por 9 municipios que tienen tasas considerables de crecimiento de la población, niveles correlacionados de expansión urbana y ocupación de áreas anteriormente clasificadas como conservadas ambientalmente, con una geodiversidad significativa. En este contexto, el objetivo de este documento es presentar y discutir un inventario de la geodiversidad presente en el RMC, un paso sine qua non para proponer estrategias de geoconservación específicas y factibles. Metodológicamente, en la oficina, se realizaron análisis bibliográficos y cartográficos y encuestas sobre la temática y la RMC. En el campo, se identificaron áreas significativas dentro de cada municipio y, finalmente, en el laboratorio, y los datos de campo se mapearon de acuerdo con el análisis del gabinete. Por lo tanto, se presenta un inventario de la geodiversidad CMR, que, discutido y reelaborado, puede apoyar nuevas estrategias para su geoconservación.Palabras clave: Patrimonio natural. Geoconservacion. Ceará


Land ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Karg ◽  
Rafael Hologa ◽  
Johannes Schlesinger ◽  
Axel Drescher ◽  
Gordana Kranjac-Berisavljevic ◽  
...  

Periurban areas of growing cities in developing countries have been conceptualised as highly dynamic landscapes characterised by a mixture of socioeconomic structures, land uses and functions. While the body of conceptual literature on periurban areas has significantly increased over the past two decades, methods for operationalising these multi-dimensional concepts are rather limited. Yet, information about the location and areal extent of periurban areas is needed for integrated planning in the urban–rural interface. This article presents the results of a study aiming at classifying and mapping periurban areas along the urban–rural gradient of Tamale, a medium-sized city in Ghana. The study used a quantitative, multi-dimensional methodology involving the following as core elements: (1) a relative measure of how urban a place and its people are in terms of services, infrastructure and livelihoods (urbanicity index); (2) the diversity of households regarding their livelihoods and access to urban services; and (3) land use dynamics. Therefore, data from a household survey, as well as land use and other secondary geospatial data were collected and analysed at different spatial scales. The findings suggested that the periurban space consists of two main zones. Inner periurban areas are driven by urban expansion and the conversion of non-urban into urban land use is most visible here. These areas exhibit higher levels of socioeconomic diversity, compared to both rural and urban areas. Outer periurban areas are less dynamic in terms of land use change and exhibit lower building densities, and compared with rural areas, hold stronger links to the city related to the movement of people and goods. The spatial analysis revealed that periurban areas develop mainly along major transport corridors across administrative divisions, as well as in the form of periurban islands in the rural zone. This study set out to extend existing methodologies to map urban and periurban development in medium-sized cities in sub-Saharan Africa, useful for urban and regional planning beyond administrative boundaries.


Urban Studies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (10) ◽  
pp. 2005-2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Owen Crankshaw ◽  
Jacqueline Borel-Saladin

This article addresses the debate over the causes of urbanisation and counter-urbanisation in Zambia: Are urbanisation and counter-urbanisation caused mostly by net migration or are they caused mostly by the natural growth or decline of the urban population? Using population censuses, we apply the intercensal forward survival ratio method to measure net migration and the natural population growth of urban and rural areas in 1990, 2000 and 2010. The results show that the most important cause of urbanisation and counter-urbanisation was net migration rather than natural urban population growth or decline. Although natural urban population growth was roughly twice that of net migration, this had very little influence on urbanisation because it was matched by the natural growth of the rural population. We also address the causes of migration by examining employment trends. These results indicate that economic decline during the 1990s resulted in decreased urban employment and a dramatic rise in urban unemployment, which in turn caused migration from urban to rural areas. Conversely, during the 2000s, absolute employment grew and unemployment decreased, which corresponded with increased rural–urban migration (resulting in net urbanisation). Our findings also show that even during the period of net out-migration from urban areas and high urban unemployment levels, the resident urban-born workforce continued to grow strongly through natural increase. Thus, these results also show that urban population growth can increase substantially in the absence of urban economic growth, thereby increasing urban unemployment and urban–rural migration.


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