Dr. Guillermo Peña (p)

This paper analyzes the population effects of the deviation from the Zipf and Gibrat laws for all the municipalities of Spain in the last censuses from 1900 to 2020 in NUTS-3 level (provinces). A novel econometric technique of Difference-in-Differences (DiD)
with multiple time period treatments is employed. The noncompliance of the Zipf law robustly leads to higher population while the rejection of the Gibrat law leads to lower inhabitants only when climate factors are considered. An example of agglomeration shadows is found at the province of the capital of Spain, Madrid, and its surrounding provinces.

Prof. Boris A. Portnov (p)

The patterns of concentration of wealth across the globe are not immediately clear. Even in Europe, a relatively small and densely populated continent, the location of places that generate the most national wealth looks quite irregular, with isolated ‘peaks’ surrounding by ‘hollows’ that border each other. Quite often, the ‘spikes’ on this map are the largest cities of nations and their capitals, while the ‘depressions’ between them are less populated regions and rural areas, but not always. Thus, in a large number of cases, this general observation is not upheld. The conceptual model, termed the ‘valued attribute concept’, is suggested to explain such (ir)regularities. According to this concept, during each historical period, several attributes of location were important and the most valued, and places, which accumulated most of these favorable attributes, concentrated collective wealth as a result. If in antiquity, such attributes included the availability of fresh water, a temperate climate, and fertile land for agriculture and the cultivation of life stock, later elevated and naturally protected places gained importance, while previously valued attributes retained their importance as well. With accelerated industrial development, the proximity to natural resources gained prominence, while the importance of size became even stronger than before, due to the size of the market for produced goods and services, albeit not due to sole defense considerations, as before. As development progressed, the available services and other urban functions, as well as the infrastructure linking places, allowing factor exchanges and urban expansion, gained prominence. As the list of these ‘valued attributes’ tends to change with time, the location of the wealth loci may also change. In this presentation, this concept is supported by empirical data processed using geoinformation tools, applied to European and worldwide data.

Dr. Melinda Hajdu-Smahó (p), Erika Zsuzsanna Madarász

Sustainable urban mobility, as part of sustainable transport, is a declared aim of both international (UN Sustainable Development Goals, New Mobility Paradigm) and European-level (European Green Deal, EU cohesion policy objectives) strategies. Cities, however, face significant challenges in transforming their transport systems to make them sustainable. Autonomous vehicles are expected to revolutionise urban transport in the coming decades and can also contribute significantly to solving urban problems, provided their integration is carried out in line with cities' interests. This is a complex process that requires thorough preparation and planning and fundamentally affects urban transport, infrastructure, land use, urban budgeting, and regulatory systems.
Drawing on an in-depth analysis of the international state-of-the-art literature, the presentation outlines different perspectives on where cities currently stand in their preparations for the arrival of autonomous vehicles, focusing on their appearance and integration in urban planning documents. Beyond the international examples found in the literature, the presentation also reveals the appearance of autonomous vehicles in the planning documents of eight large Hungarian cities. In addition to urban passenger transport, the presentation will also address the urban planning challenges of autonomous vehicles in urban freight transport, exploring innovative logistics solutions, technologies, and measures that cities anticipate will promote more sustainable freight transport.

Prof Davide Fiaschi, Prof. Angela Parenti (p), Dr Cristiano Ricci

We study the evolution of local population density in Italy from 1985 to 2020, moving
beyond traditional administrative classifications by adopting a fine spatial grid of approximately 82,500 cells (locations). We propose a novel empirical approach to characterise
the dynamics of spatial distribution and derive five location types from projected long-run
demographic trajectories, shedding new light on urbanisation, depopulation, and spatial
clustering. We illustrate policy relevance through two applications: evaluating the Italian
National Strategy for Inner Areas and constructing a forward-looking taxonomy of NUTS-3
regions that complements standard urban–rural classifications.