<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Geographical isolation is closely associated with rural population decline and policies for regional and rural development frequently emphasize better transportation infrastructure improvements. Although poor access to jobs and services may lead to negative rates of net migration and skewed age and gender distribution in rural and remote areas, research on the association of road infrastructure improvement with rural demographic dynamics remains sparse. The current study adds to the understanding of these issues by examining the effects of a large-scale road tunnel project in Northern Iceland. The results suggest that improved road infrastructure coincides with a break in long-term population decline through parity in net migration and positive changes in the composition of the population of sparsely populated areas.</p>
</abstract>

Geographical isolation is closely associated with rural population decline and policies for regional and rural development frequently emphasize better transportation infrastructure improvements. Although poor access to jobs and services may lead to negative rates of net migration and skewed age and gender distribution in rural and remote areas, research on the association of road infrastructure improvement with rural demographic dynamics remains sparse. The current study adds to the understanding of these issues by examining the effects of a large-scale road tunnel project in Northern Iceland. The results suggest that improved road infrastructure coincides with a break in long-term population decline through parity in net migration and positive changes in the composition of the population of sparsely populated areas.

Tunnelling the Peninsula of Trolls: A Case Study of Road Infrastructure Improvement and Demographic Dynamics in Northern Iceland

Prof. Thoroddur Bjarnason, Faculty of Social Sciences

European Countryside

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Geographical isolation is closely associated with rural population decline and policies for regional and rural development frequently emphasize better...

Tunnelling the Peninsula of Trolls: A Case Study of Road Infrastructure Improvement and Demographic Dynamics in Northern Iceland

Published Online: Jul 12, 2021

Page range: 368 - 387

Received: Nov 25, 2020

Accepted: Mar 23, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2021-0023

Keywords
Tunnels, demography, coastal communities, Iceland

© 2021 Thoroddur Bjarnason, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Tunnelling the Peninsula of Trolls: A Case Study of Road Infrastructure Improvement and Demographic Dynamics in Northern Iceland

Published Online: Jul 12, 2021

Page range: 368 - 387

Received: Nov 25, 2020

Accepted: Mar 23, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2021-0023

KeywordsTunnels, demography, coastal communities, Iceland

© 2021 Thoroddur Bjarnason, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
Tunnels, demography, coastal communities, Iceland