Splintering Urban Populations: Emergent Landscapes of Reurbanisation in Four European Cities

Abstract

During the last three decades, the countries of the developed world have been engulfed by the 'second demographic transition', which involves new family relations, less and later marriage, declining fertility rates, population ageing, postponement of child-bearing and smaller households, among other trends. It is being increasingly argued that such population dynamics are having a powerful transformative effect on the inner city, by diversifying and redensifying its social landscapes, and creating a 'splintered' urban form. Based on the findings of a recent EU Framework 5 research project, this paper investigates the demographic contingencies of this process-also known as reurbanisation-in four European cities: Leipzig (Germany), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Bologna (Italy) and Leon (Spain). Analyses of census and municipal registry data, as well as on-site questionnaire surveys and interviews, have revealed that the reviewed cities are being populated with, and fragmented by, multiple migration trends and new household structures connected to the second demographic transition.

Toward a New Cycle: Short-Term Population Dynamics, Gentrification, and Re-Urbanization of Milan (Italy)

“…The empirical results of our study indicate how gentrification and migration represent two sides of the same medal, leading to class segregation [28]. The evidence is in line with the findings of Haase et al [35], suggesting that-although driven by similar underlying factors-the contribution of social processes such as gentrification, immigration, segregation, and filtering to re-urbanization is, in a qualitative sense, still distinctive [32].…”

“…Despite an increasing interest manifested by planners and policy-makers, relatively few studies have analyzed the aforementioned processes in the light of a comprehensive assessment of population dynamics and processes, distinguishing short-term from long-term demographic changes [27][28][29][30][31]. Empirical studies are still required to ascertain latent relationships between population dynamics and re-urbanization processes, discussing the role of social changes-including (but not limited to) aspects of social segregation, immigration, gentrification, and transformation of traditional family structures [22,[32][33][34].…”

Hacia un patrón territorial complejo de la movilidad residencial. El caso de la Región Metropolitana de Barcelona

“…Sin embargo, las tendencias de la gran mayoría de ciudades estudiadas apuntan a que el crecimiento en los centros ha convivido en el tiempo con dinámicas suburbanizadoras. La coincidencia temporal de diferentes fases y no la sucesión de ellas se ha afirmado como una de las grandes críticas a ese modelo (Kabisch y Haase, 2011; Gil-Alonso y Bayona, 2012;Buzar et al, 2007aBuzar et al, y 2007b.…”

Arruinamento e regeneração do espaço edifìcado na metrópole do século XXI: o caso de Lisboa

“…Se algumas cidades inverteram as tendências recessivas e iniciaram processos de recuperação, outras continuaram a perder habitantes e a assistir ao alastramento dos espaços de arruinamento (Kabisch & Haase, 2011;Rae, 2013;Turok & Mykhnenko, 2007). Acresce que as dinâmicas de retoma foram, quase sempre, díspares e seletivas, com bairros que rejuvenesceram a par de outros que se afundaram em espirais de abandono e desinvestimento (Buzar et al, 2007;Couch & Cocks, 2013). Neste artigo, procurar-se-á demonstrar que estes aparentes paradoxos se devem ao facto de arruinamento e regeneração não serem processos contrários e incompatíveis, gerados por forças opostas, mas sim duas faces articuladas do processo de produção do espaço urbano.…”