Zeraingo Udala - Ayuntamiento de Zerain
SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROJECT > Rural areas
One of the
basic concerns of today's European institutions is the question of
how to maintain a balanced distribution of human communities within
the different territories
Rural communities have always produced a
high percentage of emigrants. At first, they travelled to America
in search of farmland, later, they migrated to the valleys, where
most of the industrial activity was focused, and today, they congregate
in the huge urban service centres. The inhabitants of rural towns
and villages have always tended to move to where they were able to
earn a living more easily. However, if we consider this tendency in
conjunction with the effect of demographic evolution, we can see the
reason behind the sharp decline experienced during the 20th century
in many rural areas.
The personal and social problems generated
by the concentration of people in large urban cities is becoming increasingly
evident. If we add to this the reduction in work hours, we can catch
a glimpse of the increasingly important role of the rural countryside
in satisfying the population's ever-growing leisure needs and demands.
Consequently, the aforementioned European institutions have given
top priority to helping communities that have managed to survive in
rural areas, far from the cold and impersonal mandates of macroeconomics.
return to Socio-economic project