{"title":"Midsize Settlements in Europe: Definition, Population Trends, and Contribution to Regional Development","authors":"Paolo Veneri, David Burgalassi, Alison Weingarden","doi":"10.1111/jors.70005","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>This paper analyses population trends across Europe at a fine spatial resolution from 2011 to 2021, focusing on midsize settlements (cities and towns with 5000–250,000 inhabitants) and their surrounding areas. While large cities dominate Europe's demographic dynamics, midsize settlements exhibit stark heterogeneity in population growth, driven by factors such as settlement size, urban hierarchy position, accessibility, and service provision. We find that proximity to cities is the strongest predictor of population growth for both midsize settlements and their respective hinterlands. Service availability also matters, but only within settlements' boundaries. Finally, population growth in midsize settlements' commuting regions is positively associated with both proximity to secondary settlements offering regional-level functions (e.g., hospitals, universities) and with growth of the central-largest settlement.</p>","PeriodicalId":48059,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Regional Science","volume":"65 5","pages":"1338-1352"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/jors.70005","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Regional Science","FirstCategoryId":"96","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jors.70005","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ECONOMICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This paper analyses population trends across Europe at a fine spatial resolution from 2011 to 2021, focusing on midsize settlements (cities and towns with 5000–250,000 inhabitants) and their surrounding areas. While large cities dominate Europe's demographic dynamics, midsize settlements exhibit stark heterogeneity in population growth, driven by factors such as settlement size, urban hierarchy position, accessibility, and service provision. We find that proximity to cities is the strongest predictor of population growth for both midsize settlements and their respective hinterlands. Service availability also matters, but only within settlements' boundaries. Finally, population growth in midsize settlements' commuting regions is positively associated with both proximity to secondary settlements offering regional-level functions (e.g., hospitals, universities) and with growth of the central-largest settlement.
期刊介绍：
The Journal of Regional Science (JRS) publishes original analytical research at the intersection of economics and quantitative geography. Since 1958, the JRS has published leading contributions to urban and regional thought including rigorous methodological contributions and seminal theoretical pieces. The JRS is one of the most highly cited journals in urban and regional research, planning, geography, and the environment. The JRS publishes work that advances our understanding of the geographic dimensions of urban and regional economies, human settlements, and policies related to cities and regions.
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