Abstract
This study examines the changing demography of the Spanish city of Leon, and aims to explore the manner in which its urban fabric was reshaped by processes of reurbanization, a dynamic whereby the inner city becomes more attractive to a wide variety of household types and social groups. We draw on sociodemographic analyses of municipal census data, as well as a customized questionnaire survey of local residents. Empirical evidence is provided both for the city as a whole and two inner-city districts, Casco Antiguo and El Ejido. Among other findings, it is argued that, although the contiguous built-up area of the city is clearly losing its inhabitants through out-migration and aging, there are a series of small-scale migration flows that increasingly concentrate "nontraditional" households in and around the city center. This is accompanied by an increasing trend toward "city-mindedness" as a residential choice and housing preference among both in-migrants and the long-time residential population. Overall, the evidence points to the emergence of a spatially fragile, fragmented reurbanization process.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 211-235 |
Number of pages | 25 |
Journal | Urban Geography |
Volume | 31 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Feb 2010 |
Keywords
- demography
- migration
- Spain
- reurbanization
- gentrification