Ensuring quality of life in Europe's cities and towns - New Bridges

Quality of life and drivers of change
over Europe again demonstrate local variations
within this overall pattern. According to the State
of European cities report (EC, 2007b), a third of cities
grew between 1996 and 2001, a third witnessed
stable populations, and a third experienced a
notable decline in population (Map 2.1). In general,
large cities have been expanding more quickly
than smaller ones. Growth has been greatest in
peripheral urban areas, while core cities within
these urban agglomerations have experienced a
decrease in population.
Population changes at national and local levels
correlate mostly; however, statistics show variations
between cities (Figure 2.1). These results indicate
that there is opportunity for local policy to influence
urban population development, at least partially.
Urban population mix
Also, at the micro scale of single cities, the
composition of population groups has changed and
will continue to do so. The State of the European cities
report (EC, 2007b), based on audits of more than
250 cities, shows that the number of elderly people
(65+) rose overall in most European cities with
few exceptions. Cities with the fastest population
Figure 2.1
Population change in %
30
20
10
0
– 10
– 20
– 30
Romania
Lithuana
Population change in cities
compared with national change
between 1991–2004
Poland
Germany
City (larger urban zone)
Country value
Belgium
Source: Eurostat, Urban Audit Database.
Denmark
Cyprus
growth are those with the smallest share of elderly
people. However, in many Mediterranean cities
population growth has continued in parallel with an
aging population due to retired newcomers: the 'sun
seekers'. Many central and eastern European cities
have comparatively few elderly residents and many
children. This may be due to the high birth rates of
the late 1980s, but it is expected that in the future
these cities will also follow the general European
trends.
Throughout Europe there is also a trend towards
smaller households, and therefore more households.
Household size is smallest in northern Europe
(1.6 in Stockholm), slightly larger in Central and
Eastern Europe and highest in Southern Europe (up
to 3.4). Developments in cities show that one‐person
households gravitate towards urban centres, while
in most cities families with children are leaving the
urban core and settling in the surrounding suburbs.
Migration and immigration affects all cities across
Europe (Map 2.2). In general, larger cities have
higher immigration rates than smaller cities, which
attract newcomers mainly from surrounding areas.
Around three quarters of migration takes place
within national borders. However, the percentage
of non‐nationals is rising, in particular in bigger
cities, especially in Spain, Greece and Northern
Italy. In part this is attributed to wealthy retired
migrants from north‐western European countries,
who, attracted by nature, culture and mild climate,
settle there on a more or less permanent basis, but
it is also due to work‐oriented migrants from poor
countries in and outside the EU seeking work in
the tourist industry along the Mediterranean coast
(ESPON, 005b). Migration and mobility are likely
to have an even greater role in urban population
change in the coming decades.
Drivers of demographic change
Demographic development in cities is driven by
many factors that affect economic, cultural, social
and environmental dimensions of quality of life in
Europe and its regions. Globalisation, rising mobility
and continuing high population growth in Europe's
immediate neighbourhood, especially in Africa,
combined with poor economic performance and
political instability may fuel further immigration
(EC, 2007c). The impacts of climate change may
also further reinforce these developments. At the
European level, cohesion policy, economic policy,
social policy, immigration policy and responses to
globalisation influence these demographic trends.
Similarly, at local level, quality of life is determined
by policies relating to socio‐economic development,
Ensuring quality of life in Europe's cities and towns
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