"The Other Side of the Zagreb - Rijeka Motorway": Socio-Geographic Implications in the Rural Periphery of Croatia
"The Other Side of the Zagreb - Rijeka Motorway": Socio-Geographic Implications in the Rural Periphery of Croatia

Summary/Abstract: From the mid 1990s Croatia has become one of the largest road construction sites in Europe. In addition to numerous positive effects of the building of motorways there are also negative consequences which are less obvious. The goal of this study was to research the socio-geographical implications of the opening of the motorway Zagreb – Rijeka in the central part of Gorski kotar. The study focused on settlements situated along the old road connecting Zagreb and Rijeka and tested the hypothesis that they have experienced economic stagnation because of the new motorway. The study is based on field research – mapping, questionnaires and interviews with business entrepreneurs/ investors, local population, and local authorities. The drop in the volume of traffic along the old road has had negative effects on the catering industry, formerly an essential source of income. The motorway has initiated the emergence of new regional disparities by marginalizing previously the most significant developmental trajectory in Gorski kotar. At the same time it has opened up perspectives for the settlements along the motorway intersections. The study showed that the survival strategies in areas of naturally and socially limited developmental options must include a wider spectrum of economic activities. They too must evaluate all accessible developmental resources and not limit themselves to those which are most profitable in the short term.

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