Demography and Infrastructure

This summary of the findings of the INFRADEM project to estimate the effects of demographic change on infrastructure demand focuses on Hamburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in Germany. Its multidisciplinary studies employed a broad range of methods.

Population ageing has been going on for many decades, but population shrinking is a rather new phenomenon. The population of Germany, as in many other countries, has passed a plateau and is currently shrinking. Demographic change is a challenge for infrastructure planning due to the longevity of infrastructure capital and the need to match supply and demand in order to ensure cost-efficiency. This book summarises the findings of the INFRADEM project team, a multidisciplinary research group that worked together to estimate the effects of demographic change on infrastructure demand. Economists, engineers and geographers present studies from top-down and bottom-up perspectives, focusing on Germany and two selected regions: Hamburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The contributors employed a broad range of methods, including an overlapping-generations model for Germany, regional input-output models, an energy systems model, and a spatial model of the transportation infrastructure.

Highly relevant research topic: the impact of demographic change on infrastructure use - Interdisciplinary content covers all aspects of the research topic - Wide range of approaches used, including top-down, bottom-up, national, and regional - Includes the development and application of methodological innovations

Inhalt
Introduction to Infrastructure and Demography (InfraDem).- PART I.- 1. The Setting: Demographic Trends and Economic Development in Germany and Two Selected Regions.- 2. Macroeconomic Conditions for Infrastructure Adaptation to Demographic Change.- 3. Demographically Induced Changes in the Structure of Final Demand and Infrastructure Use.- PART II.- 4. Demographic Effects on Passenger Transport Demand.- 5. The Demand for Air Transport and Consequences for the Airports of Hamburg and Rostock.- 6. Impacts on the National Energy System.- 7. The Potential for District Heating Based on Renewable Energy A Spatial Analysis.- PARTIII.- 8. Mobility of the Elderly Facts and Projections.- 9. On the Energy Demand of Households.- PART IV.- 10. Evaluation of Findings on Sustainability Strategies.- 11. Policy Implications: The Regional Perspective and Beyond.- Index.