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Background |
Why focus on small towns?
The role of small towns in Europe is a very important one – between a quarter and a third of people in European nations live in towns with populations under 50,000. Throughout the EU, however, small traditional towns experience difficulties. These can sometimes be acute problems of economic failures that require major regeneration, but also they can also be due to the lack of support to take advantage of growth opportunities or to fend off threats that can take some towns their socio-economic tipping point.
Small towns are very often neglected in national policy, slipping through the net between ‘cities’ and ‘remote rural’. However, the contribution of small towns to social cohesion, balanced development and community harmony across Europe is significant.
The changing roles for small towns
The rapid advances in technology, democracy and the global economy during the end of the 20th century has continued into the first decade of the 21st century. These have resulted in new patterns of behaviour amongst Europe’s societies that bring both positive and negative outcomes for our small towns. Some small towns have lost their traditional functions and many people have moved on, especially the young and mobile. Whereas far flung towns can suffer greatly from the collapse of traditional industries, competition from the cities and/or out-of-town shopping, while others are on the receiving end of people moving out of cities (‘city flight’) or in from rural areas with fewer people living off the land, and are thus expanding rapidly.
Small towns now have to adapt to 21st century living and must manage their transition if they are to survive and grow sustainably.
The small town experience
The changes brought about by modern living are being experienced across all walks of live in all ranges of situations. The symptoms of growth, decline, threat and opportunity face people in cities, large and small towns, villages and remote rural areas. Many of the issues, challenges and solutions will be similar irrespective of location: yet many will be very different and specific to local circumstances.
Small towns provide a commercial and service role not experienced in villages or countryside and fulfil an important focus for economic and social activity often for a large hinterland. Due to their small scale, they are susceptible to competition from larger towns and cities and are more vulnerable to changes in fortune - a minor change for a city can be a major change for a small town. Due to limitations on what they can offer, they tend to lose their younger population and attract an older populace. Since they are smaller than cities and large settlements, they have the ability to provide high quality of life and the potential to retain a sense of community. Now Read About This Toolkit |
