Anti-urbanisation is a form of counter-urbanisation, which means migration from the city to the countryside. Three variants can be distinguished by the motives of the migrants: A search for a radical often self-sufficient lifestyle, a relocation to enhance one’s quality of life and amenity driven retirement migration. In the region around Copenhagen such life style related migration to more peripheral areas can be detected counting especially the middle-aged and retired groups. Their migration is amenity-driven as they are attracted to coastal areas and rural amenities. They are also searching for a less stressful life, freedom and peace and quiet; a better quality of life. Anti-urbanisation might be a development chance for more remote areas in the metropolitan region. Some in-migrants start a micro-business in knowledge or creative services at their new home in the countryside in order to combine a dwelling far from the city, life style considerations with a continued carrier.

By statistical analysis based on age-related migration data for municipalities we studied the extent of anti-urbanisation in the case area. The data indicates an ongoing and amplifying trend of amenity-driven migration into rural areas in the last 30 years regarding middle-aged and retired groups. By qualitative interviews we further studied a specific group of anti-urbanits, namely persons relocating for quality of life reasons and starting an own micro-business. They are self-employed also after some years in the countryside as they want to be flexible and have the freedom to enjoy the rural amenities. Quality-of-life issues seem to out-balance the difficulties for business in rural areas. Most businesses have gone through many changes especially to minimize commuting to urban areas and have put much effort into building up regional networks of similar businesses. Some businesses have not been able to adapt. The successful businesses combine few well established customers and networks in the city with a broader array of services matching a regional market, indicating a sustainable integration of those anti-urbanits in the regional area.

To attract and hold the life-style migrants in the area different factors are important. We will discuss implications of anti-urbanisation and the opportunities and challenges for rural municipalities and how to support a sustainable integration of those.