How place becomes my place – an explorative study on young people’s relationship to the peripheral places of their origin and on the ways in which place attachment are practised and socially constructed

Many Danish cities and city-regions are transforming due to economic restructuring and demographic changes, and in many regions decline has become the rule more than the exception leading to a large number of shrinking cities. Increasing urbanisation belong to the main impact factors causing this process, as it has led to a significant out-migration of population, as the draw of employment opportunities, higher education and recreational activities in metropolitan areas makes it very difficult for smaller cities and city-regions to retain and attract people.

This PhD project takes its point of departure in the ongoing debate about how the peripheral regions of Denmark can evolve, and it explores the opposing but related views on shrinking cities and discusses the strategies and actions that are often followed in places undergoing transformations due to contemporary social and economic changes. A particular focus is on young people, as the research examines the elements these individuals use to emphasise attachment, identification or distance to the place in which they grew up. This will shed light on the relationship between young people and places and on how different kinds of places are ascribed meaning.

Keywords: talent attraction, shrinking cities, sense of place, human capital, place branding, regional development.