Counter-urbanization revisited: the new map of population distribution in central and north-western Europe

Abstract

The paper discusses the distribution of population within 11 north-western and central European countries from the mid-1950s to the late 1980s. While concentration into major metropolitan regions was widespread in the 1950s and 1960s, and counter-urbanization in the 1970s, the 1980s show diverging developments. In some countries, the major metropolitan regions have resumed their former growth, and in other countries their growth remains below or around the national average. The underlying causes are discussed, and it is suggested that the new information technologies make different distributions of population possible, with specific local conditions for economic activities then becoming decisive.