rural depopulation

Battle with time: Italian towns face demise by depopulation

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This story reminds us that many rural places across Europe become vulnerable when their diversity and connections seize up. England is more densely populated but many an unimaginative town planner might learn something from pondering on this story. There are places in far flung corners of our country where a blanket presumption against growth and development is a deep threat to the future.

The birth of a baby in the small town of Acquaviva Platani, in inland Sicily, is such a rare event that the village bells toll to celebrate the arrival.

With just 800 inhabitants Acquaviva is among thousands of Italian towns risking extinction in the coming decades, as the country faces an unprecedented crisis of population decline.

For the first time in 90 years the Italian population has fallen to about 55 million, according to the national statistics agency (ISTAT). From 2014 to 2018, the population decreased by 677,000 people.

Two factors are behind the decline according to experts: a decrease in births, which is at an all-time low since the unification of Italy, and an increase in the emigration of young people to other European countries in search of job opportunities. According to ISTAT nearly 157,000 people left the country in 2018.

UN reports that Italy is the only major European economy with a population set to decline further in the next five years. It ranks second – behind only Japan – in terms of having the greatest share of older people, with an estimated 168.7 people over 65 for every 100 young people.

Most people living in Acquaviva are more than 60 years old, and the number of deaths fluctuates between 20 and 30 each year. As for the bells announcing the birth of a child, they only ring once or, at the most, three times a year.

Smarter ways to stop the rural brain drain

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Professor Will Jennings and Ian Warren from the Centre for Towns are speaking at our conference in September. Here’s a flavor of what makes them such a refreshing addition to the rural agenda. This article tells us:

According to think tank Centre for Towns, a million young people in the UK have moved out of smaller communities over the past 30 years, in pursuit of smart living in a big city. Will smart city technology accelerate this brain drain, or could it be used by local authorities for towns and rural areas, to turn the tables and retain young talent?

When we talk about smart city concepts in the UK, we often reference large metropolitan cities such as London, Bristol or Manchester – bustling hives of innovation that are embracing technology to improve and enhance the lives of citizens. Recent government figures report that just over 45 per cent of those living in rural areas are now aged below 45 years, compared with almost 60 per cent in cities.

This represents a real challenge for the many small cities, towns and rural communities across the UK as young people continue to be lured away from their home towns for work and university. The adoption of smart technologies in these large cities adds to their appeal and is potentially accelerating the flow of younger, digitally native citizens from town to city.

A third of Italy’s villages at risk of depopulation and abandonment, report warns

Now here’s a worrying international example of what happens when rural sustainability is not thought through economically, socially and environmentally by policy makers. I can see the risk of this happening in some of our more remote communities. The article tells us – They may be the stuff of Under the Tuscan Sun-style fantasies for northern Europeans with an eye on a second home, but Italy’s villages are being deserted by their inhabitants, a new report revealed on Wednesday.

A third of Italy’s villages are at risk of depopulation and even extinction, the report by Legambiente, a national environmental association, found.

In the past 25 years, one inhabitant in seven has left Italy’s small villages, either heading for larger towns and cities or leaving the country altogether.

The people left behind are increasingly old – the number of residents aged 65 or over has increased by 83 per cent in the last quarter century.

The phenomenon is happening across the country, from mountain-top villages in the Alps and the Apennines to tiny terracotta-roofed hamlets in the sun-baked valleys of Sicily and Sardinia.

Nearly 2,500 villages are at risk of turning into ghost communities, with a startling two million homes abandoned or left empty by their owners, according to the report, which was compiled with the help of the National Association of Italian Councils.

The association’s Massimo Castelli said the only hope for villages facing depopulation was greater support for rural industries and farming, and encouragement for tourism.