Abstract：The aim of this paper is to analyze at what extent the connectivity of small localities is a determinant of their demography. Specifically, we pay attention to three factors: the evolution of the population; the distance, measured both in kilometres and travel time, to the province capital, the usual city where the largest set of services is available; and finally, the coverage of different kinds of broadband services (from ADSL or 3.5 G to the fastest ones FTTH) in rural areas. An econometric model was estimated where the dependent variable captures the increase of inhabitants along 2017–2020 of the 5955 Spanish municipalities with a population between 101 and 10,000 inhabitants (73.3 % of all municipalities). The results point out to the following facts: digital connectivity of small localities is a determinant of their demography, whatever the technology used, but physical distance remains being a significant factor on the population growth (both if it is measured of physical distance or travelling time) to explain the population growth of each locality.
KeyWord：Depopulation; Internet connexions; Broadband; Sustainability; Territorial cohesion;

相关文献：
1.Getting smart or going green? Quantifying the Smart City Industry's economic impact and potential for sustainable growth
2.Perceptions and preferences of experienced security in mass urban events – What's technology got to do with it?
3.Incorporating climate justice into adaptation planning: The case of San Francisco
4.Robots are coming to town: A visual experiment on urban belonging and anxiety
5.Area-based initiatives and urban democracy
6.Impact of COVID-19 on the economic loss and resource conservation of China's tourism industry from the supply chain perspective
7.Hidden gems: The potential of places and social innovation for circular territories in Bogotá
8.Why regional capital status only sometimes enhances the growth of cities: Comparison of 1975 and 1998 Polish reforms
9.Perceptions of housing stability and fertility intentions among public housing renters in Guangzhou, China
10.Mapping property redevelopment via GeoAI: Integrating computer vision and socioenvironmental patterns and processes