A qualitative overview
of displacement in South Bohemia
and some areas of the Central Bohemia region in the last 50 years and the changes in trends in the last decade
RNDr. Radim Perlín, Ph.D.
Demographic, societal and socioeconomic changes in the last 160 years have affected the numbers of local inhabitants according to the specific size categories of each specific settlement very unevenly, especially in the peripheral regions. There has been an ongoing trend of depopulation of smaller towns caused by various factors, such as lack of elementary schools, loss of administrative autonomy of respective towns or villages, or decline of services that would guarantee self-sufficiency; especially younger people are leaving these towns for bigger cities. While the number of residents has decreased, the number of residences has been rather stable, or even growing. A hopeful prospect for these areas is that they are often sought out for recreational purposes, and the recreational residents would aim to cultivate a sense of community and improve the local opportunities for social life.