Urbanisation is such an overarching process – a result of an increased mobility through which society is transformed. Societies which used to be predominantly rural in relation to economy, culture and lifestyle are instead becoming predominantly urban. Since the 1960s, most of the population growth in the Arctic has occurred in urban centres tied to industrial activities, public administration and social services.
The concentration of the Arctic population on fewer and larger places at the same time leads to an increased diversification of economy, social relations, and cultural activities. It thereby entails a complex set of processes, not only in where people live and what they produce, but in who they are, how they live in terms of economic well-being, political organisation and the distribution of power, demographic structure, and social relations.
Mobility is nothing new in the Arctic, but a shift in mobility patterns is taking place, impacting the demographic structure. Children and the older part of the population are persons who can be considered permanent residents, only involved in very short temporary stays outside their communities, for instance in connection with education, training etc. A part of the labour force – predominantly males - move on shorter or longer terms, typically for temporary jobs, and eventually returning to their place of origin. And lastly a group of persons – dominated by younger persons and females looking for education – tend to move permanently away from their place of origin pursuing a "step-stone" pattern of moving, from smaller to still larger places – from villages to towns and cities - and in some cases even out of the region or even out of the country.
The demographic and labour force challenges have been enhanced further due to the increased focus on large scale extractive industries in relation to minerals, hydrocarbons and hydropower, which are adding a new framework to the regional development strategies. While "company towns" used to be a general accepted way of organizing the extractive activities, a still more globalized labour market moves the focus towards increased mobility where FiFo – Fly in, Fly out – has become an important trend creating new differentiated settlement challenges depending on whether the new activities are established as isolated enclaves, as adjacent activities within commuting distance to existing settlements, as an integral part of existing or new established communities.
Contemporary Arctic mobility is highly influential on the regional characteristics in relation to age groups, level of education, level of qualifications and gender. The regions are increasingly mirroring the influence of the mobility patterns. Internally because people are looking for new job opportunities, educational options, and changes in social relations; And externally by looking for skilled jobs matching their educational qualifications as well as looking for new social options.
These patterns have been well known and documented through analysis of statistics for quite a while. But in order to get a better understanding of the reasoning behind these differences new insight is needed in order to ensure adequate policy measures to meet these challenges. Not the least because the individual reasoning in connection with their choice is complex, involving not only the individual preferences, but reflecting the fact that family relations, community attachment, status and position within the community, connection to the world outside the community as well as relations to the labour market are influential on the decision process – and are changing!
In this context Nordregio's aims are to ensure a solid and responsive approach to the major challenges in the Arctic; first by continuing the in-depth analyses of the demographic challenges in order to provide documented input to future policy measures; next to analyze how the management of these conditions will affect the living conditions and prospects of the regions; third to determine what challenges for planning and regional policy these prospects will generate. And last but not least to pursue and expand excellence in regional application of foresight-analyses aiming at determine what societal and environmental resources are likely to have significant impact on regional development in the Arctic over the next 10, 20 and 30 years.
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