A study into the demographics of the Dalmatian capital.
The study “Demographic Analysis of the City of Split” has shown surprisingly unfavourable demographic trends in Split, said demographer Stjepan Šterc, who along with Ana Jurić prepared the study for the city authorities. Their goal was to define what is needed to be done to bring about the revitalization of the city, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on January 9, 2016.
Based on the study, which will soon be officially presented to the public, the city authorities will take measures to manage the demographic development of Split, said Deputy Mayor of Split Goran Kovačević. “The findings of the study are somewhat unexpected, because they show that the depopulation trends in the city of Split are even worse than in the country as a whole”, said Kovačević.
According to Kovačević, Split is the first city in Croatia which has prepared such a study and has recognized the importance of demographic analysis in the planning of the overall development. It is an example for other cities, as well as for the whole of Croatia, and the path which should be followed by everyone. “According to the results of this study, the City of Split will define the concept of demographic revitalization, it will introduce the first population register in Croatia and will try to manage the demographic potential with the goal of the overall development of Split”, said Kovačević.
The level of depopulation in Split is a problem which cannot be ignored any longer without specific plans for demographic policies, since the study has confirmed “the narrowing base of the young population in Split”, said the deputy mayor. “Additional confirmation of the problem are the age groups of the population where we can see that the population of Split is very old on average, with the greater share of those older than 60 years than those younger than 19 years”, said Kovačević who pointed out that it was extremely important to understand that resolving the demographic problems of Split was crucial for planning the city’s economic and spatial development. “This is a fundamental question for the future and viability of the city of Split”, warned Kovačević.
Demographer Stjepan Šterc also said that the study has shown “surprisingly unfavourable” demographic trends in Split. “Split used to be a dynamic city, but depopulation trends began in 1991, when citizens started moving out of the city. Since 2007, we also have a higher number of deaths than births in the city”, he added.
According to Šterc, for negative demographic trends in Split to be mitigated it is necessary to find money in the city budget for the demographic renewal of the city. We should also not forget about the possibility of using European funds for such projects. He added that he, as one of the authors of the study, will continue to work together with the Split city authorities in order to solve the demographic problems of the city.
