Suburbanisation characteristics in the vicinity of Rīga after transition

Toms Skadins

University of Latvia, Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences

DOI: 10.22364/fg.18.3

Keywords: movers, suburbanisation intensity, Rīga agglomeration

Abstract

After the fall of socialism, the most pronounced changes in the spatial structure of the population have been caused by suburbanisation. These changes have been especially notable since the end of the transition period. Therefore, the aim of this research was to characterise the features of suburbanisation in the vicinity of Rīga after transition. Characteristics of suburbanisation were analysed based on the share of and number of people moving out of Rīga among all people moving. This was done for two periods – 2000 to 2011, and 2011 to 2019 – “the second of which has been less studied. The results showed that there were significant differences between the three share groups – a high proportion often went hand in hand with a large number of suburbanites. On the other hand, the differences between agglomeration and non-agglomeration areas were less clear-cut, as there were significant differences in the number of people previously living in Rīga and its changes, while there were no significant differences in the share for the first stage and share changes.