Migration in an Intra-Urban Context a Case Study of the Migration of Families with Children from Small Towns in the Periphery of the Greater Copenhagen Region
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UNIVERSITY OF COPENH AGEN Master’s Thesis Sara Hillbom Guizani Migration in an intra-urban context A case study of the migration of families with children from small towns in the periphery of the Greater Copenhagen region Supervisor: Lars Winther Submitted on: 5 November 2018 1 University: University of Copenhagen Faculty: Faculty of Science Name of department: Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management Section: Geography and Geoinformatics Author(s): Sara Hillbom Guizani Title and subtitle: Migration in an intra-urban context: A case study of the migration of families with children from small towns in the periphery of the Greater Copenhagen region Supervisor: Lars Winther Submitted on: 5 November 2018 Number of characters: 189,009 2 Abstract Families with children are an attractive population group, particularly for peripheral places, as they provide adults in the working age, while also providing children for local schools and institutions. Although the migration of families from the city center towards the urban periphery has been a recurring pattern in the region of Greater Copenhagen, there are indications that changes have occurred which concentrate families closer to the city center than previously. To identify challenges in maintaining and attracting population in small, peripheral towns, this thesis examines intra-urban migration of families with children in the city-region of Greater Copenhagen, by connecting contemporary centralization processes to motives for migration. This has been done through an analysis of population and employment data and 13 qualitative interviews conducted with families with children who have decided to move out of the small town of Frederiksværk. This thesis finds that the out-migration is impacted by the availability of jobs, educational opportunities, welfare services and well-connected infrastructure in the city center. The challenges faced by small peripheral towns in maintaining and attracting population are closely related to processes of centralization which contribute to a growing inequality in the region. Based on these observations two migration types are identified, which give certain insights into the opportunities for small towns in the urban periphery, and to processes of spatial sorting taking place in the region. 3 Table of Contents List of tables and figures .................................................................................................................................................. 6 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 7 CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK .................................................................. 11 The foundations of the theoretical framework ............................................................................................................. 11 The link between migration and urban development ................................................................................................... 12 Understanding human agency in migration: A critical realist perspective ................................................................... 12 Not just about jobs: multiple reasons for migration ..................................................................................................... 14 Agglomeration economies and migration ..................................................................................................................... 15 A relational perspective on size and periphery ............................................................................................................ 18 Agents and the migration decision ................................................................................................................................ 21 The biographical approach: making migration decisions ............................................................................................ 22 Everyday life strategies ................................................................................................................................................ 25 Life course theory: the principle of linked lives .......................................................................................................... 26 An outline of the framework .......................................................................................................................................... 27 CHAPTER 3: METHODS .................................................................................................. 29 A mixed methods approach ........................................................................................................................................... 29 Data on population and employment growth ............................................................................................................... 30 The semi-structured interviews ..................................................................................................................................... 32 Choice of case: Why Frederiksværk? .......................................................................................................................... 33 Criteria for interviewees .............................................................................................................................................. 35 Sampling ...................................................................................................................................................................... 37 Interview questions and process .................................................................................................................................. 37 Enquiring “around” the migration decision ................................................................................................................. 38 Analysis strategy ............................................................................................................................................................. 39 CHAPTER 4: CONTEXTUAL CHAPTER.......................................................................... 41 Greater Copenhagen as a city region ............................................................................................................................ 41 Recent developments in population, house prices and employment ............................................................................ 42 4 The Finger Plan ............................................................................................................................................................ 44 Frederiksværk ................................................................................................................................................................. 49 History ......................................................................................................................................................................... 49 Attracting and maintaining families with children ....................................................................................................... 51 Frederiksværk in a centralizing region ........................................................................................................................ 54 CHAPTER 5: ANALYSIS .................................................................................................. 55 Developments in population and employment ............................................................................................................. 55 An analysis of moving motives ....................................................................................................................................... 63 Theme 1: The linked lives of families with children ................................................................................................... 64 Theme 2: Away from Frederiksværk - towards better opportunities ........................................................................... 68 Theme 3: Moving closer to jobs .................................................................................................................................. 76 Theme 4: Finding the ‘right’ home .............................................................................................................................. 81 Theme 5: The limitations of house prices .................................................................................................................... 85 Two types of migration ................................................................................................................................................... 88 Chapter conclusion ......................................................................................................................................................... 92 CHAPTER 6: DISCUSSION .............................................................................................. 93 A discussion on opportunities and challenges: What options are there really? ........................................................ 93 Affordable housing, the quality of schools and the commute ...................................................................................... 94 A resource dilemma ..................................................................................................................................................... 96 Spatial sorting of families with children .....................................................................................................................