Urban amenities and paths of development in an Alpine region: the demographic challenge

The aging of the population is a demographic reality that confronts all nations in the Industrialized World. As the population ages the work force will begin to diminish in relation to the retired population, and the dependency ratio, the number of retired individuals in relation to the working population,. While an aging population is an unmitigated “ticking time bomb” for national governments, this may well not be the case for urban regions. In recent research on the economic consequences for cities or urban economies one finds that in certain circumstances, with the right policies implemented, the consequences can be significantly positive so that urban regions can be net gainers from the aging of the population.. With regard to the allocation of their time, attendance at cultural events has been positively correlated with higher educational attainment, as well as with income and age. Attendance at cultural events is disproportionate to their share of the population for the 55-64 and 65-74 age cohorts. Expenditure of time is related to expenditure of money, so we should expect to see increased expenditures for urban cultural and adult education institutions, for dining and entertainment, and for tourism. This applies to the case proposed in this paper, the Valle d’Aosta Alpine region: here, the capital city Aosta is facing transformations determined by the demographical change . As to its demography, the city’s population is aging but also is characterized by a positive migratory balance