One of the most noticeable and increasingly discussed phenomena in European society is the gradual ‘dispersal’ of large cities, especially by the indigenous population. This topic is actively raised by fundamentalists, but it has quite real grounds and statistical confirmation. We are talking about a quiet but steady process of urban population replacement, especially in countries such as Belgium, France, Sweden, Great Britain and Austria.
This can be best illustrated through the example of Antwerp in Belgium. In a city whose population is about 560,000 today, 5,000 to 7,000 migrants arrive every year. This is approximately 1% of the population. Simultaneously, 3,000–4,000 Belgians leave Antwerp every year. They move to quieter and more homogeneous settlements, small towns, villages, and often abroad, to less urbanised areas of Portugal or Spain.
The reasons for such a move are quite rational. While property prices in large cities remain high, leaving the metropolis means using the proceeds to buy higher-class housing with better conditions in the provinces. The prospect of relocation becomes particularly attractive when considering the deterioration of the social environment and the growth of cultural divides in multicultural megacities.
The results of this trend over the past 25 years are impressive. Since the start of the large-scale ‘open door’ policy towards refugees and migrants, the proportion of the immigrant population in Antwerp has grown by at least 25%. At the same time, about 20% of the indigenous population has left the city. In other words, one in five Belgians who previously lived in Antwerp has left. This means not only a change in the demographic structure, but also profound cultural and social transformations.
According to some analysts, the situation is reaching a point of no return. Those who left first are winning: they are leaving the city while it is still possible to sell their homes at a high price. Those who remain will face a new reality, where 60–70% of the city’s population will be migrants, and property prices and living standards will no longer be what they once were.
Similar processes are taking place in other countries. London, Marseille, Vienna, Stockholm — everywhere there is an increase in the proportion of migrants and an outflow of the local population. In the UK, for example, this phenomenon is called white flight. In Austria and Sweden, it is already a subject of discussion at the level of state policy and is provoking polarised reactions. However, it is difficult to disagree that the image of Europe, its population and its culture is rapidly changing.
