Shrinking Towns Post Pandemic: Smart Workers as Possible Trigger for Regrowth, a Case Study of Campo Ligure
Authors
Dyremose, Katharina Seeberg ; Larsen, Daniel Chlander ; Guazzardi, Lucia
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2021
Submitted on
2021-06-10
Pages
173
Abstract
The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the spread of "smart working," meaning working remotely outside the traditional office. This thesis asks whether a small town that is losing population can focus on attracting remote workers as new residents to counter decline and start a process of renewal. We explore this question through the example of Campo Ligure, a small rural town in Italy. We assume that as remote work grows, fewer daily commutes could ease some mobility challenges. However, commuting less will not, by itself, solve broader mobility issues. In the post-pandemic context, decisions about moving and working remotely are likely to be personal choices rather than the result of a forced global change. Therefore, each town needs to invest in its own strengths and opportunities to make itself attractive. Remote workers are not a standalone solution to shrinking, but they can be an important part of a wider strategy for regrowth.
Covid-19-pandemien har fremskyndet udbredelsen af "smart working", dvs. fjernarbejde uden for det traditionelle kontor. Denne afhandling undersøger, om en lille by i tilbagegang kan fokusere på at tiltrække fjernarbejdere som nye tilflyttere for at modvirke tilbagegangen og starte en genopblomstring. Vi belyser spørgsmålet gennem eksemplet Campo Ligure, en lille landlig by i Italien. Vi antager, at mere fjernarbejde kan reducere daglig pendling og dermed afhjælpe nogle mobilitetsudfordringer. Men mindre pendling alene løser ikke de bredere mobilitetsproblemer. I tiden efter pandemien vil beslutninger om at flytte og arbejde på afstand i høj grad være personlige valg frem for konsekvensen af en global tvangssituation. Derfor må hver by investere i sine egne styrker og muligheder for at gøre sig attraktiv. Fjernarbejdere er ikke en enkeltstående løsning på tilbagegang, men kan være en vigtig del af en bredere strategi for ny vækst.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
Keywords
Shrinking ; Regrowth ; Smart Workers ; Smart Working ; Campo Ligure ; Rural ; SWC ; Covid-19 ; Rural areas ; Geography ; Italy ; Liguria ; Pandemic ; New Normal ; Human Science ; Master Project ; Mobility ; Case Study