engleski

Shrinking Cities in Croatia

During the last two and a half decades, the development of urban areas in Croatia has become increasingly diverse. A significant number of cities are shrinking. The major symptom of urban shrinkage is population decline, which is a consequence of complex social, economic and political changes from global to local level. Urbanization in Croatia was significantly modified by wider social and economic factors along with already unfavorable demographic processes and structures. Many cities, especially the largest, are losing population and in some cases, it has been a sharp decline. Census data show that the decrease was present in 2/3 of Croatian cities between 1991 and 2011. Only 1/3 of the cities had an increase, and these are mainly small and mediumsized cities in suburban areas and tourist centers on the coast. There are several factors detected that led to population decline: demographic change (low birth rates, ageing population, negative migration balance, declining number of married couples, increasing divorce rates, and higher median marriage rate), economic transformation (declining economic activity, closure of industrial plants, loss of competitiveness), structural changes (collapse of the political systems, riots, wars), suburbanization and changes in the natural environment. Depopulation of old urban cores is also becoming an important issue, due to the relocation of numerous services (particularly retailing) in suburban zones, higher costs of living, problems with accessibility and touristification in coastal cities. At the same time, in general, the number of inhabitants is still increasing in urban regions and surrounding rural areas. In the research we analyze dynamics and intensity of shrinkage process and its impact on socio-demographic structures. The focus is also on the regional differences within the urban system.

Shrinking cities, demographic decline, depopulation, ageing, Croatia

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