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SPECIAL ISSUES

European Countryside (Web of Knowledge IF = 1.0, SCOPUS Cite Score = 2.6)
https://reference-global.com/journal/euco

CALL FOR PAPERS FOR A THEMATIC ISSUE 24

Title. MOBILITIES IN MOUNTAIN AREAS: BETWEEN LEAVING AND RETURNING, SHORT TERM AND LONG STAY PERSPECTIVES, REJECTION AND ATTRACTION

Guest editors: Marika Gruber, Dario Musolino, Thomas Dax, Manfred Perlik

Call for Paper
The aim of this special issue is to focus on the changing spatial mobility patterns of European mountain regions, as manifested through processes of in- and out-migration. Particular attention is given to the persistence, transformation and diversification of migration patterns, their drivers and impacts, and to the policies that can be deployed to manage population movements, reduce out-migration, foster population retention and repopulation, stimulate social innovation, and strengthen mountain resilience.

Migration dynamics in mountain regions of Europe are at the core of pressing demographic and territorial challenges. Persistent outmigration has led to depopulation, socio-economic decline, and the emergence of "ghost villages", in many mountain regions driven by factors such as limited employment opportunities and market access, restricted access to services of general interest, such as health services or education facilities, poor public transport and ICT connectivity, and increasing environmental risks linked to climate change. Further drivers which can explain these phenomena are linked to a complex set of interrelated socio-cultural factors, which led to shrinkage in most of peripheral regions (Copus et al. 2021) and can impact the quality of life negatively. In particular, mountain ranges and regions are hit by these phenomena as there is a supplementary factor of verticality. A vast empirical literature has developed on the analysis and interpretation of these phenomena. See for example studies on national contexts of countries, like Italy (Campolo et al, 2026; Lucchetti and Morettini, 2024; Lallo et al, 2025; Musolino et al, 2025), Spain (Collantes and Pinilla, 2004; Recaño-Valverde, 2023; Delgado Vinas 2019), Bulgaria (Boykova, 2025), Poland (Szymanowski and Latocha-Wites, 2021) and Greece (Papadopoulos and Baltas, 2023), Turkey (Altundal Önci et al., 2022) as well as comparative studies on all the EU mountain areas (Nordregio 2004, Gløersen et al. 2016).

At the same time, there has been an increased understanding of spatial movements affecting mountains. Population decline, ageing and degradation runs in parallel with in-migrating multilocal second home owners and peri-urban extension (Boos and Salvucci, 2026), as well as returnees and neorural urbanites (Grüner, 2023), creating Alpine gentrification (Perlik, 2011, 2019). All these new trends are reshaping an increasing share of mountain communities, creating opportunities for demographic stabilisation, revitalization, social innovation and local development. For example, in Italy, some reports point to immigration of Italians into the central-northern Apennines as well as population growth in some Alpine regions, such as Trentino-Alto Adige and Aosta valley (Baldeschi 2024; UNCEM – Fondazione Montagne Italia, 2025). At the same time also foreign immigration play an increasingly important role, according to some recent studies (Gretter et al, 2017; Gruber et al, 2022; Perlik and Membretti, 2018; Lardiés-Bosque and Membretti, 2024). However, while contributing to revitalization, new challenges related to limited housing markets, social cohesion, service provision and governance emerge. Understanding these complex patterns is essential for designing effective policies that foster resilience and sustainable development.

This special issue explicitly adopts a relational and long-term perspective on migration, emphasizing the interconnections between out-migration, in-migration and population retention. Contributions are encouraged to move beyond an analysis of short-term dynamics or sudden events interpretations and instead analyze migration as a cumulative, life-course, place- or regime-based process that unfolds over time. With this special issue, we aim to delve deeply into emerging, and contradictory trends affecting European mountain areas, whether out-migration is still predominating, or/and compounded by internal and international immigration. We seek to identify and analyse what relations exist between declining at the one hand and in-migration, which places are impacted and how is the balance between both processes, and consequently, which factors are driving the interplay between these processes. By studying the empirical evidence in depth, the goal is to identify potential lessons to be learned, namely, what policies need to be designed to counter depopulation as well as processes of Alpine gentrification.

The special issue also invites contributions that critically engage with changing rurality. Increasing global connectivity, digitalization, multi-local living arrangements and the diffusion of remote work challenge traditional lowland-highland dichotomies. In this context, many mountain areas can no longer be understood as isolated spaces, but rather as places that are simultaneously locally embedded and globally connected. Remaining in peripheral positions, such regions, in particular, represent laboratories where global processes intersect with local constraints, making them highly relevant for advancing theoretical debates on spatial transformation. B eyond demographic and economic impacts, migration profoundly affects social relations and everyday life in mountain communities.

This special issue invites contributions that explore:

  • Current trends and long-term trajectories in population movements and shifts of migration of mountain regions.
  • Drivers and socio-demographic, economic and territorial consequences of out-migration from mountain areas.
  • Characteristics, determinants, motivations and impacts of internal and international immigration into mountain regions.
  • The simultaneous and interconnected dynamics of in-migration, out-migration and population retention.
  • The social dimensions of migration, including questions of newcomers' belonging and expectations, social distance, and changing place-based identities.
  • How migration decisions are shaped by life-course events (education, family formation, ageing), changing aspirations and evolving opportunity structures in mountain contexts.
  • Longer-term territorial, social and institutional effects of crisis-driven migration to areas.
  • A comprehensive understanding of the simultaneous appearance of in- and out-migration
  • Policy frameworks, governance arrangements, to counter depopulation

We welcome interdisciplinary and innovative approaches focusing on several topics, including but not limited to:

  • Accessibility and quality of infrastructure and services on spatial mobility, commuting patterns and residential choices.
  • Digital connectivity, remote work, changes in spatial behavior and impact on migration decisions.
  • Circular migration and seasonal mobility in mountain areas.
  • Social innovation and immigrant integration as tools for territorial revitalization.
  • Big data and spatial analytics for predicting migration trends.
  • Climate change adaptation and its influence on mobility patterns.
  • Sectoral diversification as a strategy to increase employment opportunities.

Methodological Approaches:
This special issue offers a platform to advance scientific understanding and inform policy on one of Europe's most critical territorial challenges. The special issue is open to contributions from a variety of disciplines and methodological approaches. Contributions from diverse fields, such as social, cultural, and economic geography, regional economy, rural sociology, political science, demography, and environmental science, mountain research with inter and transdisciplinary approaches are highly encouraged.

We welcome quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method designs, including:

  • Large-scale surveys
  • Case studies building on in-depth interviews or focus groups, and comparative cross-national analyses
  • Case studies building on in-depth interviews or focus groups, and comparative cross-national analyses
  • Longitudinal studies on demographic trends
  • Participatory research and community-based approaches
  • Policy evaluation and impact assessment frameworks
  • The papers must have a mountain topic, i.e a vertical component, whereby the altitude is of minor importance.

References

Altundal Öncü, M., Somuncu, M., Güney, Ì., and Perlik, M (2022): Rural and Alpine Gentrification Impact of Lifestyle Mobilities during COVID-19: The Yayla Experience at the Taurus Mountains in Turkey. European Countryside 15(2): 259-280.

Baldeschi, P. (2024), Return to the mountains. Opportunities and challenges. Scienze del Territorio 12(2): 88-95.

Boos, T. and Salvucci, D. (2026): Historical dynamics of vertical mobility and social change in the Ritten/Renon villages (South Tyrol). In: Membretti, A., Davino, C., Spalazzi, A., Perlik, M., eds: Vertical Migrations. Springer (forthcoming).

Boykova, B. (2023), The Depopulation of the Legally Defined Mountain Areas of Northern Bulgaria. Conference: Bulgaria, the Bulgarians and Europe - Myth, History, Modernity. At: Bulgaria, the Bulgarians and Europe - Myth, History, Modernity, Vol. 17 (1), 327–336.

Campolo, M.G., Cava, A., Mucciardi, M., and Pizzimenti, D. (2025), Between staying and leaving: Understanding depopulation in Sicily's inner areas. Cities 169: 1-12.

Collantes F. and Pinilla V. (2004), Extreme Depopulation in the Spanish Rural Mountain Areas: A Case Study of Aragon in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. Rural History 15(02):149–166.

Delgado-Viñas, C. (2019), Depopulation Processes in European Rural Areas: A Case Study of Cantabria (Spain), European Countryside 11(3):341-369.

Copus, A., Kahila, P., Dax, T., Kovács, K., Tagai, G., Weber, R., Grunfelder, J., Meredith, D., Ortega-Reig, M., Piras, S., Löfving, L., Moodie, J., Fritsch, M. and Ferrandis, A. (2021) European shrinking rural areas: Key messages for a refreshed long-term European policy vision. TERRA. Revista de desarollo local, 8, 280-309. DOI 10.7203/terra.8.20366

Del Mármol, C. and Vaccaro, I. (2015:) Changing Ruralities: Between Abandonment and Redefinition in the Catalan Pyrenees.

Gretter, A., Machold, I., Membretti, A., and Dax, T. (2017), Pathways of Immigration in the Alps and Carpathians: Social Innovation and the Creation of a Welcoming Culture. Mountain Research and Development, 37(4): 396-405.

Gløersen, E.; Drăgulin, M.; Hans, S.; Kaucic, J.; Schuh, B.; Keringer, F.; Celotti, P. The impact of demographic change on European regions. In Report for the Committee of the Regions; 2016; Available online: https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/73bac530-ecd4-11e5-8a81-01aa75ed71a1/language-en

Gruber, M., Pöcher, J., and Zupan, K. (2022): Ergebnisse aus der Fallstudienregion Kärnten. MATILDE Abschlusskonferenz am 11. November 2022. Villach: FH Kärnten.

Grüner, B. (2023): Two Close-to-Nature Lifestyles, One Benefit for the Cultural Landscape: Comparing Lifestyle Movers and Lifestyle Farmers in the Remote European Eastern Alps," Mountain Research and Development 43(2), R1-R11.

Lallo, C., Benassi, F., and Tomassini, C. (2025). Towards the Identification of a Systemic Depopulation Areas Index: The Case of Molise. Bollettino della Società Geografica Italiana serie 14, 8(1): 183-198.

Lardiés-Bosque R. and Membretti A. (2024), Chapter 24. International immigration to European mountain regions: a resource for local revitalization and sustainable development. Safeguarding Mountain Social-Ecological Systems, Vol 2. Pages 187-194.

Lucchetti, R. and Morettini, G. (2024), Depopulation in the Central Apennines in the Twentieth Century: An Empirical Investigation. Italian Economic Journal 11(3).

McAreavey, R. (2017). New Immigration Destinations, Migrating to Rural and Peripheral Areas. Abingdon: Routledge. Musolino D., Guzzi L, Capurro F., (2025) Attractiveness and exogenous direct investment in mountain regions: An exploratory investigation in the Aosta Valley, Italy. Regional Science. Policy & Practice. Volume 17, Issue 1, January.

Apostolos G. Papadopoulos, Pavlos Baltas (2023), Rural Depopulation in Greece: Trends, Processes, and Interpretations, Geographies 4(1):1-20.

Perlik, M. (2011): The mountain village as a metropolitan neighbourhood. Revue de géographie alpine 99(1).

Perlik, M. (2019): The Spatial and Economic Transformation of Mountain Regions. Landscapes as Commodities. Routledge Advances in Regional Economics, Science and Policy. London: Routledge.

Perlik, M. and Membretti, A. (2018): Migration by Necessity and by Force to Mountain Areas: an Opportunity for Social Innovation. Mountain Research and Development 38(3): 250-264.

Recaño-Valverde, J. (2023), Depopulation 1.0: Geography and the Factors of Rural Demographic Decline in the Spain of Developmentalism. Perspectives Demogràfiques.

Szymanowski, M. and Latocha-Wites, A. (2021), Does the environment matter? Depopulation in the Sudetes (case study of the Kłodzko region, SW Poland). Applied Geography 135(1):102535.

UNCEM – Fondazione Montagne Italia (2025), Rapporto Montagne Italia 2025. Istituzioni Movimenti Innovazioni. Le Green Community e le sfide dei territori. Rubbettino Editore, Maggio.

Schedule:
Abstracts: May 2026
Papers: October, 2026
Evaluation and revision: February 2027
Publication: June 2027 (as number 2 of the 19th volume)

Abstracts of up to 300 words should briefly describe the research objectives, key questions, methodology, and primary or expected findings. Please include the authors' names, institutional affiliations, and contact details.

Instructions for authors: https://reference-global.com/journal/EUCO?tab=submission-guidelines#journal-tabs

Articles must be oriented towards the (mountainous) countryside, not towards technological or economic problems of montane agriculture, tourism, etc. Articles will go through a standard double-blind review process.

Fee: EUR 170

Directory for communication: eurocountry@seznam.cz

Full text of the call for papers see:

Feel free to disseminate this information among your colleagues.



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