Epilogue: From Growth to Decline to Degrowth? The Future of Northern SPAs

Carson, Dean B.; Eimermann, Marco; Lundmark, Linda

This final chapter of the book wraps up the discussions in previous chapters and links back to the book’s introductory chapter. We reflect on the future of sparsely populated areas in connection with growth, decline and degrowth. We do so through revisiting the intro-chapter’s example of local development and broader historical and political perspectives on major current challenges such as the corona pandemic, climate change and the refugee crisis. What does this mean for the north? The need for rural people, places and products has not disappeared. On the contrary, change, transformation and adaptation have been pivotal for development, and this is what we have seen as examples throughout this book.