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Chapter B – Driving Forces of Mobility and Transport
B1.2 Population density and area of
permanent settlement
Population density
Population density is a basic indicator in evaluating the human
pressure on space and in distinguishing between rural
and urban areas (OECD 1994). Using this indicator it is possible
to depict processes of agglomeration and urbanisation.
Throughout the whole Alpine Convention area the average
density is 73 people per km 2 (see Tab. B1‐1). Compared
to the national values (e.g. Germany: 231.1 Inh./km 2 , Italy:
197.1 Inh./km 2 ; EUROSTAT 2004), the Alps are one of the
less populated regions in Europe. In this analysis the Principality
of Monaco was not considered as this city state
has the highest population density worldwide, which is not
representative of the situation in the Alps.
Map B1‐3 shows the distribution of the population density in
the Alpine Convention area which significantly reflects the
topographical situation. Higher population densities occur
along the Alpine fringe and the foothills of the Alps. Numerous
small centres have developed there. Due to the favourable
site conditions the settlement comes into conflict with
agricultural land use.
Many commuters, who work outside the Alpine arc at a nearby
agglomeration centre, live in these bordering municipalities
(Bätzing 1998) or in the broad and easily accessible
Alpine valleys. In these valleys, municipalities with high
population densities are found along the main Alpine ridge
(valleys of Rhine, Etsch, Inn and Aosta). There is also a high
population density in the nearer vicinity of the large centres
of the Alpine arc.
In contrast to the large intra-Alpine valleys the peripheral
Alpine areas with poor accessibility are characterised by
municipalities with low population density. These were found
in areas close to the central mountain chain. This population
pattern was observed in particular in the western parts of the
Alps: Maritime Alps, Provencal Alps, Cottian Alps, Southern
Dauphiné and Ticino Alps.
As already mentioned, topography plays a key role in analysing
the reasons for the observed population density pattern
in mountainous regions. Many parts of the Alps must be
considered as unsuitable for human settlements. In Austria,
for example, only 40% of the cadastral area can be considered
as an area of permanent settlement (BMVIT 2002). To
give a more realistic and comparable picture of the population
density, the area of permanent settlement, as the most
appropriate indicator, should be taken into account. If the
area of permanent settlement is the basis of the calculation,
this results in higher values for the population density of the
Alpine regions. Some valleys even reach values similar to
those in densely populated urban centres.
Population density..
..is the average number of persons per unit of area for
a certain territory. Normally it is specified as inhabitants
per square kilometre. But the significance of the value
is limited and may lead to false conclusions, particularly
in mountain areas because normally this value does not
take into account the geographical and ecological particularities
(area for permanent settlements, glaciers, steep
slopes, hazard zones etc.).
Area of permanent settlement..
..is the area which is inhabited or used continuously
throughout the whole year (ASTAT 2004); in other words,
where the majority of human activities is concentrated.
This area includes intensively used agricultural areas,
settlements and transport infrastructures, but does not
include forests, pastures, bare rocks, wasteland and
water surfaces.
Due to the requirements of the respective spatial planning,
the relevant administrative and political definition of
the area of permanent settlements differs in the individual
countries.
differences between the two ways of calculating the population
density are shown in Tab. B1‐4. Of particular interest
in this respect are the figures from German and Swiss
Alpine regions, because they were available for the entire
Alpine Convention area. Considering the area of permanent
settlement and not the whole area in Germany, the population
density in the Alpine Convention area has almost doubled.
In Switzerland the density value raised seven times, assuming
the area of permanent settlement. In general the intra-
Alpine regions, Tirol, Vorarlberg and the Autonomous Province
of Bolzano/Bozen, experience a multiple increase when
relating the population to the permanently settled area.
Fig. B1‐1: Relative area distribution in the Alps at different altitudes
(AMSL).
A closer look at the distribution of Alpine area according to
different altitude levels reveals the interdependency of population
density and permanently settled area. Large areas of
the Alps are located in altitudes where no permanent settlement
is possible any more (Fig. B1‐1). The considerable
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