Geodemographic Processes and Their Effects in Blagoevgrad Municipality
Emilia PATARCHANOVA*1
* Corresponding author
1 South-West University “Neofit Rilski”, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Blagoevgrad, BULGARIA
E-mail: epatarchanova@abv.bg
Pages: 167-177. DOI: 10.24193/JSSP.2019.2.09
Cite: Patarchanova E. (2019), Geodemographic Processes and Their Effects in Blagoevgrad Municipality. Journal of Settlements and Spatial Planning, 10(2), 167-177. DOI: 10.24193/JSSP.2019.2.09
Abstract. The article explores and presents the leading trends in population dynamics and spatial distribution in Blagoevgrad municipality, Bulgaria. The key demographic aspects were analysed for the period between 2001 and 2016 (number and density of rural and urban population, natural and migratory dynamics and age structure). Data was freely provided by the National Institute of Statistics, Bulgaria and collected during field work. Specific features of the demographic resources were shown and the processes of depopulation and suburbanization were explained and localized. Their impact on the settlements in the area under study was analyzed – a large administrative and educational centre, Blagoevgrad town and 25 villages. Results show that the contemporary geodemographic processes and the territorial distribution of population are also features describing other municipalities in Bulgaria.
K e y w o r d s: demographic resources, settlements, natural dynamics, migration, depopulation, suburbanization