The redistribution of population in Western Economies has undergone a couple of main phases during recent decades with a strong urbanisation process during the 60s and thereafter a counterurbanisation phase. However depending on the spatial level of analysis the interpretation of the outcome is different with regard to the concentration or dispersion of population. The Swedish experience involves concentration at regional level and dispersion at local level during the first phase and then dispersion on regional and local level during the second phase. Recently a third phase could be recognised with concentration of population to some attractive regions, the Metropolitan areas and university town regions. However, attention must be paid to deviations from the national pattern within macro regions differences in the concentration/dispersion continuum with regard to distance from major urban centres and to central or peripheral location in the country. The aim of this paper is to describe and analyse the geographical redistribution of the population in one region in Sweden - Gävleborg County - since 1960.To measure the redistribution Hoover index is used. In this paper a general conceptual framework of concentration and dispersion of population at different geographical levels is presented. The empirical analysis results in a spatial model of population redistribution in Gävleborg region at different geographical levels1960-97.
There are a number of research themes in the field of population redistribution. One approach is focused on changes in the urban system. Other themes are concentrated on urban interactions such as suburbanisation and counterurbanisation (Berry 1977, Hall & Hay 1980). A further approach is measuring concentration and dispersion at different geographical levels (e.g. Vining & Strauss 1977, Nucci & Long 1995, Håkansson 2000). This paper discusses changing urban system using different geographical levels in order to measure the concentration and dispersion of the population over time. In order to contextualize different processes affecting the redistribution over time a model that capture several concentration and dispersion processes in one framework will be presented.