Inner areas in Italy mostly correspond with mountainous rural landscapes, representing a (hi)story of a man-maintained agro-silvo-pastoral systems, with a high balance between human management, restrictive environmental conditions and biological diversity. Landscapes that underwent a destabilization because of a large land abandonment and depopulation since the second half of the 20th century and the conversion of productive rural to remote low-fertility areas. Those ‘shrinking rural regions’ (ESPON, 2020) often resulted in depression and marginalisation on social, economic, cultural, political level. Simultaneously they are still characterised by resources and good practices, which are not valorized within the modernization process, but rather important within a (neo-) indigenous rural development. A trajectory that suits perfectly within the vision of the ESPON Policy Brief, underlining shrinkage not as a burden, but as a potential positive opportunity, focusing on growth- and adaptation-oriented policies. This contribution wants to grasp the socio-demographic photography of an inner area, with the aim to improve the understanding of the possible trends of depopulation or return, and to tackle and communicate the actual needs and requests of the current population towards local policy organs. The research is part of the project TeRA SoRA - ‘Resources and good practices in inner areas: a model of mapping the potential and issues for a sustainable valorization of the territorial heritage’, financed by the private institution Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo. The data collection was executed through a remote analysis of census data, within a GIS environment. The outcome was a series of basemaps that will be discussed during a round table discussion with local stakeholders and will be the starting point for a series of interactive mapping meetings. The case study is composed by 30 municipalities of which 17 are considered ‘inner areas’ by the National Strategy for Inner Areas (Strategia Nazionale delle Aree Interne), a direct action to support sustainable territorial competitiveness, in order to counter the demographic decline that characterizes the Italian internal areas. The aim of the Strategy is to create new income opportunities and to ensure that the inhabitants have access to essential services (local public transport, education and social and health services) and to improve the maintenance of the territory itself.
Is shrinking really a bad thing? A socio-demographic photograph of inner areas.
Dossche R
2022-01-01
Abstract
Inner areas in Italy mostly correspond with mountainous rural landscapes, representing a (hi)story of a man-maintained agro-silvo-pastoral systems, with a high balance between human management, restrictive environmental conditions and biological diversity. Landscapes that underwent a destabilization because of a large land abandonment and depopulation since the second half of the 20th century and the conversion of productive rural to remote low-fertility areas. Those ‘shrinking rural regions’ (ESPON, 2020) often resulted in depression and marginalisation on social, economic, cultural, political level. Simultaneously they are still characterised by resources and good practices, which are not valorized within the modernization process, but rather important within a (neo-) indigenous rural development. A trajectory that suits perfectly within the vision of the ESPON Policy Brief, underlining shrinkage not as a burden, but as a potential positive opportunity, focusing on growth- and adaptation-oriented policies. This contribution wants to grasp the socio-demographic photography of an inner area, with the aim to improve the understanding of the possible trends of depopulation or return, and to tackle and communicate the actual needs and requests of the current population towards local policy organs. The research is part of the project TeRA SoRA - ‘Resources and good practices in inner areas: a model of mapping the potential and issues for a sustainable valorization of the territorial heritage’, financed by the private institution Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo. The data collection was executed through a remote analysis of census data, within a GIS environment. The outcome was a series of basemaps that will be discussed during a round table discussion with local stakeholders and will be the starting point for a series of interactive mapping meetings. The case study is composed by 30 municipalities of which 17 are considered ‘inner areas’ by the National Strategy for Inner Areas (Strategia Nazionale delle Aree Interne), a direct action to support sustainable territorial competitiveness, in order to counter the demographic decline that characterizes the Italian internal areas. The aim of the Strategy is to create new income opportunities and to ensure that the inhabitants have access to essential services (local public transport, education and social and health services) and to improve the maintenance of the territory itself.
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