Growth and decline in rural Spain: an exploratory analysis
Víctor Gómez-Valenzuela, Adelheid Holl
Abstract
The depopulation of rural areas in both developed and developing countries has become a complex problem with important implications for issues of equality and sustainability. We present a spatial exploratory analysis of the multidimensional factors related to the depopulation of Spain's rural areas. Using highly granular population data to estimate experienced population density allows us to highlight significant differences compared to the conventional administrative boundary in terms of the usual definition of densities. Based on this, we develop a new typology of declining rural areas that takes into account access to urban areas. While most rural areas have been suffering depopulation over the last decades, our results also show that rural areas themselves are not a homogeneous group and that rural areas show strong heterogeneity along different dimensions associated with growth and decline.