Depopulation Processes in European Rural Areas: A Case Study of Cantabria (Spain)

Abstract

Europe witnessed massive migration away from rural areas throughout the 20th century. Spain was no exception to the rule, albeit with differences in timing and pace, and the population in Cantabria constitutes a paradigmatic case. Here, the rural exodus began early – before the mid-20th century – in some mountainous districts, but reached a peak in the 1960s and continued throughout the following decades. Since the 1990s, population levels in rural municipalities have fallen at a slower rate, while the population of the region as a whole has increased slightly. Disturbingly, the rural population has continued to decline in the early 21st century, in an overall context of almost zero population growth. The demographic trends analyzed here are not only different in time, but also in space. With the partial exception of regional capitals and their neighbouring communities, municipalities in mountain districts have witnessed such a substantial decline in their populations that they have experienced a genuine process of depopulation. This case does not explain the all-similar cases in rural Europe as a whole, but it can help in interpreting other comparable processes in different regions of southern Europe where depopulation reached its maximum in the second half of the 20th century and still continues today.

Improving Rural Accessibility: A Multilayer Approach

“…As Moseley's seminal contribution suggests, to deal with the accessibility of territories that are significantly far from services and opportunities aggregated in urban centers, a change of perspective is required. Whereas urban areas' challenges were targeted through time by an increasing number of policies developed at the national and supranational levels in order to foster economic, social, and territorial cohesion [36], since the second half of the last century, most rural areas have undergone intense processes of depopulation, ageing, and de-anthropization [1,2,4,5]. The attraction exerted by urban poles, in particular towards the active population groups, has progressively emptied these areas, where, as a consequence, the ageing index has increased.…”

“…Accessibility is a fundamental prerequisite for sustainable development, as an intrinsic right and condition of living. As a consequence of the intense processes of depopulation, ageing, and de-anthropization they have undergone since the second half of the last century, however, rural territories often suffer from scarce and inadequate access to basic services, amenities, and opportunities, resulting in territorial and socioeconomic marginalization [1][2][3][4][5]. Low density, scattered development, and the peculiar geomorphological characteristics of these areas are generally associated with considerable distances from basic services and from work and leisure opportunities.…”

Spatial Analysis of the Rural-Urban Structure of the Spanish Municipalities

“…Based on the results presented, there are different demographic behaviors in Spanish municipalities and the reality of the Spanish rural can be considered complex. The most ruralized spaces (with less than 2000 inhabitants) are located in the interior areas of the Spanish North Plateau [11] and in its extension to the south of Ebro Valley (Aragón) [77] as well as in Galicia and Asturias [58,78]. In these territories, most of their municipalities have experienced little population growth in the last 25 years (they have lost more than 30% of their population) as well as lower population densities (most of them with less of 10 inhabitants per km 2 ), the highest rates of old age (over 40%), and are isolated compared to urban municipalities.…”

“…There are numerous papers and reports that have analyzed the phenomenon of rural-urban migration and rural depopulation in Europe [7][8][9][10] and different theories abound, but they all have a common denominator: the causes of depopulation are not natural, but political and economic [11]. There is a great number of the population that leaves rural areas due to the poor economic resources ISPRS Int.…”

“…The main objective is to analyze whether the process of the depopulation of the interior Spanish rural areas has decelerated and study to what extent variables such as aging, negative population growth, accessibility, employment, and wealth characterize them, because the generally accepted causal factors that explain the depopulation processes include these variables [11].…”