Geographical Reports 5 Published by The Department of Geography, University of Umeå GÖSTA WEISSGLAS Studies on Service Problems in the Sparsely Populated Areas in Northern Sweden UMEÄ 1975 "en plcuU, òom knappaòt kan l oxd fåJutäljaA, däx vaxgen ylade ock ulven finöA ..." UW> Haóóelòkog Studies on Service Problems in the Sparsely Populated Areas in Northern Sweden AKADEMISK AVHANDLING som med vederbörligt tillstånd av Samhällsvetenskapliga fakulteten vid Umeå universitet för vinnande av filosofie doktorsexamen framlägges för offentlig granskning vid Geografiska institutionen, föreläsningssal Fl, Södra paviljongerna, Umeå universitet den 29 april 1975, kl. 10.00 av GÖSTA WEISSGLAS fil lic Centraltryckeriet, Umeå 1975 III Preface This thesis is based mainly on the research and the studies carried out within the framework of the project called Glesbygdsforskningen (Project for Studies of Sparsely Populated Areas) at the Department of Geography at the university of Umeå, under the direction of professor Erik Bylund. The project was initiated in 1966 in accordance with the greatly in­ creasing interest in regional political issues and regional economic problems, and it has been financed partly by grants from Stiftelsen Riks­ bankens Jubileumsfond (the Tri-Centennial Fund of the Bank of Sweden), partly by money from the Home Office and the Ministry for the Labour Mar­ ket. Even from the beginning this project had a multi-disciplinary charac­ ter, and a direct result of the cooperation with the Department of Socio­ logy was, above a ll, a study based on a questionnaire, answered by the in­ habitants in a number of sparsely populated communes. (See further chap­ ter 2.6). This thesis would not have been possible to accomplish without the aid, the knowledge and the enthusiasm of a great many people. I should like to express my gratitude to my tutor, professor Erik Bylund, and also to late Mrs Ingrid Burvall, to Kathrin Haraldsson, Margit Söderberg and Sigfrid Fjäll ström. I am also grateful to Olof Erson, Ulf Wiberg and Berndt öqvist. It has been very stimulating to cooperate directly with them. I should a l­ so like to thank Einar Holm, whose knowledge of methods and techniques has been of great help to me, and all my collègues at the Department of Geo­ graphy who have been extremely generous by contributing their viewpoints during the course of this work. Thanks to many undergraduates who have written papers in connection to this project, valuable data have been made available. I am also grateful to Anders Lundström for his efforts at trans­ lating my thesis from Swedish into English. Financial support has been obtained from the Tri-Centennial Fund of the Bank of Sweden, Expertgruppen för Regional Utredningsverksamhet (ERU), from the University of Umeå and from the commune of Vilhelmina. Umeå in January 1975. Gösta Weissglas IV Contents Preface I I I Contents IV List of Tables VI List of Figures VII 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Terminology and Delimitation of Areas 1 1.2 The Growth of the Problem of Sparsely Populated Areas 5 1.3 Aims and Arrangement of This Study 11 1.4 Studies With a General Reference to This Thesis 16 2 THE PUBLIC REPORTS 20 2.1 Introduction 20 2.2 The Period 1940-1950 21 2.3 Comments 29 2.4 The Period 1950-1965 30 2.5 Comments 41 2.6 'Glesbygdsutredningen' - The Investigation of the Sparsely Populated Areas. 42 3 THE BEHAVIOURAL-SCIENCE FRAME OF REFERENCE 48 4 DEFINITION AND CLASSIFICATION OF PROBLEM AREAS 63 4.1 The Basis of Reference 63 4.2 On Classification Principles 65 4.3 On Electoral Wards 67 4.4 The Classifications 70 4.4.1 General Principles of Measurement 70 4.4.2 Classification With Regards to the Proportion of Aged People 71 V Depopulation and Changes in the Age Structure 78 Classification by Centrality 83 The Measure of Centrality 83 The Measurement of Centrality 87 Classification With Regard to Combined Qualities 89 The Method of Measurement 89 The Regional Distribution of the Variables 95 A Regional Comment 96 The Result of the Classification 97 A Regional Comment 102 The Population in Different Types of Wards 105 THE STRATEGIC LOCALITIES 111 Planning and Central Place Hierarchies 111 The Discussion of Strategic Localities 120 Criteria of Measurements and Calculation of Population Bases 123 On the Size of Strategic Localities 133 The Addition to Purchasing Power by the Popu­ lation of the Hinterland 133 The Local Shortfall 135 The Addition to Purchasing Power by G-areas 138 The Addition to Purchasing Power by Localities 140 Summary of the Addition to Purchasing Power by the Population of the Hinterland 141 Changes in the Threshold Value Through Time 144 ON PLANNING IN SPARSELY POPULATED AREAS 149 Theoretical Aspects 149 On Demands and Needs 154 The Concept of Accessibility 160 Planning on a Regional Level 160 Planning on a Commune Level 173 The Out-Patient Health Services in a G-area. Data From the Commune of Vindeln in the County of Väster­ botten. 174 Accessibility and Transport Work 178 Comments 185 Concluding Remarks 189 SUMMARY 193 APPENDIX 198 BIBLIOGRAPHY 210 VI List of Tables Table 1:1 The Population in the Six Northernmost Counties 1900-1940. 1:2 The Agricultural Population in the Six Norternmost Counties 1930-1940. 1:3 The Changes in the Total Population in the Six Norternmost Counties 1940-1950. 1:4 The Changes in the Population of the Localities in the Six Norternmost Counties 1940-1950. 1:5 The Agricultural Population in the Six Norternmost Counties 1940-1950. 1:6 The Changes in the Population 1950-1965 in Total and in G- areas. 4:1 Basic Data of the Electoral Wards. 4:2 The Proportion of Aged People, Nationally and in the Re­ search Area. Quartile and Median Values. 4:4 Population and Median Age in the Merged Communes of Väster­ botten and Norrbotten 1950, 1960 and 1970. 4:5 The Population of the Electoral Wards Grouped According to Centrality. 4:6 The Proportion of Yes-answers for the Variables x-j - Xg Distributed Over Counties. 4:7 The Electoral Wards in Each County, Respectively, Grouped According to Attribution to Levels. 4:8 The Population in the Electoral Wards, Grouped According to S-L Level. 5:1 The Calculations of Threshold Values. 5:2 Total Population of the Research Area, Distributed Over Localities and G-areas. 5:3 Localities Classified by Size. 5:4 % Population by Size of Locality. 5:5 Weighted Values of Completeness. 5:6 Distribution of Purchasing Power Within G-areas. 5:7 Reduction of the Degree of Completeness. 5:8 The Proportion of Purchasing Power in Classes of Locality Size After Reduction for Own Degree of Completeness. 5:9 Reduction for a Lower Capacity of Consumption. VII 6:1 Distribution According to Level Responsible for Treatment. 6:2 Distribution According to Level of Treatment First Consulted. 6:3 Population Consulting Health Service in a Close and a Remote Zone, Broken Down by Age and Level of Treatment. 6:4 Factor Scores for the Calculation of Transport Work. 6:5 Weight Scores for the Estimation of Accessibility. 6:6 Accessibility and Transport Work. An Analysis of the Amsele Area. 8:1 Tables Showing Accessibility and Transport Work According to Figures 6:9 and 6:10. 8:2 List of Publications in the Series Glesbygdsforskningen. List of Figures Figure 1:1 The Research Area. 1:2 The Population of Sweden 1880-1970. 4:1 Deductive Classification. 4:2 Induct i ve Cl a s s i fi cati on. 4:3 Population in Electoral Wards in BD-W Counties. Cumulative Curve. 4:4 Diagram of the Distribution of Those Aged 65+. Distribution Over Counties Composed With the Distribution Over the Total Research Area. 4:5 Proportion of the Population in the Ages 65+ in the County of Västerbotten 1965. 4:6 The Proportion of the Population Aged 0-19 in the County of Västerbotten 1965. 4:7 Regression Lines and Correlation Between X = Change in Median Age and Y =Change in Total Population 1950-1960. 4:8 Regression Lines and Correlation Between X = Change in Median Age and Y =Change in Total Population 1960-1970. 4:9 Level Criteria for S-L Classification. 4:10 Diagram Showing the Classified Electoral Wards in Each County, Respectively. 4:11 S-L Classification 1965. All levels. 4:12 S-L Classification 1965. Level S-4. VIII 4:13 S-L Classification 1965. Level S-3. 5:1 The Aid Areas and the Suggested Priority Places (1969). 5:2 GRUP's Classification Scheme. 5:3 The O fficial Plan for Development of the Regional Struc­ ture. 5:4 Diagram of the Degree of Completeness by Size of Groups. All Functions Included. 5:5 Diagram of the Degree of Completeness by Size of Groups. Each Service Function Analyzed Separately. 5:6 Central Places and Spatial Demand Cones According to Christaller's Marketing Principle. 5:7 Schematic Illustration of Reluctance to Travel. 5:8 Diagram of Shortfall in Purchasing Power Over time. 6:1 Medical Care in Västerbotten. 6:2 Frequency Adjusted Average Distance to Out Patient Medical Care in Västerbotten. 6:3 Distribution of Wards After Classification by a) Frequency Adjusted Average Distance and b) Transport Volume. 6:4 Diagram Showing the Ratio Between Transformed Scores of Frequency Adjusted Average Distance and Transport Volume. 6:5 Ratio Between Transformed Scores of Frequency Adjusted Average Distance and Transport Volume. 6:6 Frequency Adjusted Average Distance to Out Patient Health Care. 6:7 Transport Volume Per Head to Out Patient Health Care. 6:8 The Commune of Vindeln. 6:9 Regional Consequences in the Amsele Area. 6:10 Regional Consequences in The Vindeln Area.