engleski

The impact of migration on demographic transformation in Croatian urban regions

Intensive population migration from rural to urban settlements that started on 1950s resulted in significant urban centres population growth, especially the largest ones which are at the same time the most important economic centres in Croatia. Apart from attracting the population, through daily commuting of workers, they have significantly influenced on socio-economic, functional and physiognomical transformation of rural areas close to the cities, its transformation to urban areas and development of urban regions. In Croatian urban network four cities are prominent - Zagreb, Split, Rijeka and Osijek ; with its surrounding areas they represent four largest urban regions in Croatia with 38.7 % of total Croatian population (Census 2011). After decades of intensive population growth, in the last 20 years all four cities witness total population decrease significantly determined by larger out-migration than in-migration. By termination of the Program for social housing and establishing a real estate market, apartment and land prices in the cities grew significantly. Due to lower prices of building areas and cheaper apartments as well as ecologically higher quality of living, the settlements in cities' surrounding areas are becoming more attractive for residence so the migration from cities to its surroundings is increasing. However, large cities population decrease in 1990s was influenced also by out-migration abroad due to political (breakup of Yugoslavia and war) and economic reasons. At the same time, in-migration was the key factor of population growth of the cities surrounding areas. Apart from Zagreb there were no planned housing development or population deconcentration from cities to its surroundings ; the process of suburbanization occurred uncontrolled through family house development (very often illegal) while surrounding areas' population growth was partly a result of in-migration from other parts of Croatia and abroad (mainly Bosnia and Herzegovina). The exception is Osijek surrounding area which loses population in the past 20 years due to the fact that the largest part of this region was involved in war during 1990s – that influenced forced migration and economically destroyed this part of Croatia. The real demographic and economic recovery never occurred and that put this region on the Croatian periphery. The natural population decrease of central cities is the result of fertility decrease, population aging and in-migration decrease. At the same time, stronger in-migration flows to the cities' surrounding areas positively influence on its total population growth. Since mostly younger people move in the cities' surrounding areas they positively influence on population age structure and positive natural change. The settlements in cities' surrounding areas in the past 20 years witness intensive in-migration and have more favourable demographic indicators.

Croatia; urban region; migration; suburbanization; natural population change

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