The Emergence and Consolidation of the Urban-Rural Region: Migration Patterns around Copenhagen 1986-2011

In recent decades, urbanisation in Europe has been characterised by the development and expansion of functionally integrated urban regions. Areas around Copenhagen, Denmark, have also experienced continuous urbanisation and a considerable in‐migration, which has contributed to the development of a wider metropolitan region. Most recently, however, a shift of migration towards the urban centre has occurred. Was the emergence of the urban‐rural region just an ephemeral phenomenon? Migration patterns are used to analyse urban‐rural relationships. Generally, in‐migration was concentrated in areas located at medium to long‐distances from the city centre from 1996–2005, while in the years since 2006, this trend has been reversed. However, a differentiated view on migration shows a very diverse and non‐linear development. We focus on three migration types, Ex‐urbanisation, Displaced urbanisation and Anti‐urbanisation and compare their development since 1986 in three time periods. Each type shows a different behaviour, partially unstable over time.