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A master's thesis from Aalborg University
Book cover


Shrinking Towns Post Pandemic: Smart Workers as Possible Trigger for Regrowth, a Case Study of Campo Ligure

Term

4. term

Education

Publication year

2021

Submitted on

Pages

173

Abstract

Considering the Covid-19 pandemic has been responsible for smart working's spreading, this thesis investigates the possibility for a shrinking town to focus on smart workers as possible new residents in order to cope with shrinking and establishing a process of regrowth. To ground this broad term, we chose to focus on a small rural Italian town called Campo Ligure. We assumed that due to smart working rising, the need to commute will lessen mobility issues. These are however far from be resolved only by avoiding commuting. Moving, as working remotely, after the pandemic will be due to personal choices, rather than the effect of a forced global change. Therefore there is a need to invest in the possible points of expansion for each individual town. Smart Workers are not a solution for shrinking on their own, but have the potential to become part of a solution when starting a process of regrowth.

Considering the Covid-19 pandemic has been responsible for smart working's spreading, this thesis investigates the possibility for a shrinking town to focus on smart workers as possible new residents in order to cope with shrinking and establishing a process of regrowth. To ground this broad term, we chose to focus on a small rural Italian town called Campo Ligure. We assumed that due to smart working rising, the need to commute will lessen mobility issues. These are however far from be resolved only by avoiding commuting. Moving, as working remotely, after the pandemic will be due to personal choices, rather than the effect of a forced global change. Therefore there is a need to invest in the possible points of expansion for each individual town. Smart Workers are not a solution for shrinking on their own, but have the potential to become part of a solution when starting a process of regrowth.