Demographic Change and Sustainable Development

Dear Colleagues,

Demographic change is a dynamic phenomenon that affects all aspects of social, economic and environmental life. The analysis of demographic change is crucial for understanding what opportunities exist for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in different contexts.

In both developed and developing countries, demographic change raises serious challenges related to the labour market, real estate phenomena, urbanisation processes, infrastructure, resource consumption and, consequently, economic growth and development. These factors can be a cause of inequality and social tensions or discrimination, but also a source of innovation and entrepreneurship, knowledge and skills. They can result in the depopulation of areas judged unattractive to live and work in, as well as the occurrence of overcrowded areas, and can cause climate change and environmental degradation.

Changes in the number and structure of the population, in addition to fertility and migration phenomena, require changes in the health and social care system, the pension system, family-friendly policies, housing, education and many environmental factors. These include measures to create a society that is resilient to the negative effects of demographic change and both economically and environmentally sustainable. Cooperation between authorities at all levels, private actors and NGOs is therefore essential to constantly develop effective strategies to manage demographic phenomena, so that their negative effects can be minimized and their resulting opportunities strengthened. In order to achieve this, the ongoing analysis and evaluation of both demographic change and its impact on the social, economic and environmental components of sustainable development are crucial.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Due to the complex and multifaceted nature of demographic change considered in the context of sustainable development, the scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following:

1. Demographic change and achieving the sustainable development goals.
2. Implications of the increase in the elderly population in the context of social security and health care systems.
3. Research on the impact of population ageing and the decline in the working-age population on the labour market, including productivity and retraining the needs of workers.
4. Research on the effects of intensive urbanisation, with emphasis on spatial planning, public transport, housing and access to natural resources.
5. Demographic change and the challenges of the residential property market.
6. Analysis of the impact of intensive urbanisation on urban infrastructure, including access to clean water, energy and waste management.
7. Urban demographic change and climate change adaptation and the implementation of sustainable energy solutions.
8. Studies on the impact of migration and changes in the population on economic development, natural resources, and infrastructure.
9. Analysis of integration policies and the impact of migration on local communities and labour markets.
10. Research on the adaptation of regional development policies to demographic change, including the management of wastelands or the revitalisation of abandoned areas.
11. Analysis of the impact of demographic change on the consumption of water, energy, food and other resources.
12. Changes in land use under pressure from increasing population in relation to habitat loss.
13. Analysis of the impact of demographic policies (e.g., birth control, migration policies, fertility support policies) on the demographic structure.
14. Innovations such as robotics or medical technologies that can support societies in the face of an ageing population.
15. The impact of technological developments on labour markets in the context of demographic change, including the replacement of human labour by machines.
16. Access to education, in particular for women, and reproductive health policies and fertility and demographic change.
17. Research on education systems that can prepare future generations for sustainable resource management in the context of changing demographic structures.
18. The need for vocational training systems to adapt to changes in the labour market resulting from changes in the number and structure of the population. We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Agnieszka Sompolska-Rzechuła
Dr. Anna Oleńczuk-Paszel
Dr. Monika Śpiewak-Szyjka
Dr. Małgorzata Blaszke
Guest Editors

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• demographic changes
• fertility
• migration processes
• population ageing
• demographic change and socio-economic development
• demography and the property market
• sustainable cities
• sustainable communities
• quality of education in the context of demographic change
• senior citizenship policy
• sustainable development
• demographic change and achieving the sustainable development goals