*First and last (minute) call for Papers: deadline for submitting
abstracts January 20th 2012!*
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) Annual Conference, Edinburgh, 3-5
July 2012
*The socio-spatial consequences of population transformation*, sponsored
by the Population Geography Research Group
In many western societies, in both urban and rural regions, ageing and
declining populations are of major concern. Population decline is often
associated with diminishing values of real estate, disappearing
facilities and services, and decreasing livability of the area.
Furthermore, decline is often selective for different social groups,
sometimes resulting in the outmigration of more highly educated and
socially mobile populations. This is particularly the case in rural
areas, which are typically characterized by the outmigration of young
people, resulting in particularly negative economic, cultural and social
impacts in these areas. The focus of this session is to examine the
effects of depopulation, and explore potential strategies for
maintaining and improving the livability of areas where population
transformation has occurred.
Possible topics for papers include:
* What are the consequences of population decline for facilities,
amenities and services (e.g. schools, sport and cultural facilities,
supermarkets, public transport, etcetera)
* What role do facilities, amenities and services play in forming
perceptions of livability of depopulating regions?
* How can new spatial distributions of facilities, amenities and
services be organized? Which 'models' are available, and how can
they best be communicated?
* How do people experience population transformations, in particular
population decline?
* How can inhabitants of depopulating regions be made aware of the
changes that their regions are facing, and how can we encourage
local populations to look beyond the typical negative perceptions of
depopulation?
The proposed format of the session is conventional 20-minute
presentations including questions.
Please send abstracts of up to 200 words by January 20th 2012 to Tialda
Haartsen (Groningen): [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
--
Tialda Haartsen
Cultural Geography/Spatial Sciences/Groningen University
Postbus 800, 9700 AV Groningen
+31(0)50 363 3890/3897
