Contrasts are common across the Nordic Region. In Sweden, Uppsala, situated just north of Stockholm, combines bustling urban streets with tranquil farmland and forest within the same municipality. In northern Finland’s Lapland, vast stretches of wilderness surround a handful of small towns where most residents live. These variations are often hidden in traditional statistics. The Nordic urban-rural typology brings them into view.
Capturing variation within municipalities
Using a 1×1 km grid, the typology divides territories into seven categories based on the degree of urbanity and rurality, from dense urban centres to sparsely populated rural areas. The result is a detailed picture of how settlement structures vary across the region, from metropolitan centres and regional hubs to smaller towns and sparsely populated areas.
By moving beyond the traditional municipal-level analysis, the tool allows planners, researchers, and policymakers to look beyond averages and capture the variation within municipalities, where urban, intermediate, and rural characteristics often coexist.
In Bergen, Norway, the city centre is densely populated while fjords and villages lie just a few kilometres away. On Denmark’s Bornholm, small fishing villages are surrounded by open countryside, while Rønne concentrates most of the island’s population. Also in Iceland, urban hubs like Reykjavík or Akureyri are set against expansive rural landscapes.
“Municipal boundaries alone cannot reflect the full diversity within our territories. The urban-rural typology enables a more nuanced understanding of local differences and trends, helping to inform decisions on housing and infrastructure needs, services, and regional planning.” (Maria Bobrinskaya, Senior GIS Analyst and Cartographer, Nordregio)
Explore and compare through an interactive map
The typology is integrated into an interactive mapping platform. The updated interface enables users to zoom in, compare regions, and overlay additional data, such as population change, housing, or land use. The design has been modernised for smoother navigation and improved readability, helping researchers, planners, and policymakers analyse spatial patterns more efficiently.
The typology complements existing frameworks such as Eurostat’s DEGURBA, offering finer resolution and a distinctly Nordic perspective. It draws primarily on open-source data, and the GIS layers are available for download, enabling users to combine them with their own datasets for customised spatial analysis. This makes the typology a flexible tool for understanding trends, accessibility, and urban–rural linkages at both local and regional scales.
From research tool to policy use
The typology was first developed under the Nordic Thematic Groups 2021-2024, driven by the need for a shared Nordic tool that can show how urban and rural areas differ and evolve over time. Since its creation, the typology has been applied in various research and policy contexts.
It has helped identify case study cities for the Nordic Climate Neutral Cities project, mapping airport locations in the Electric Aviation project, and analysing migration trends for the State of the Nordic Region 2024 report.
Beyond research, regional authorities in Östergötland, Sweden, have adapted the typology for their own regional development strategy, demonstrating its potential as a planning tool. The typology also contributes to Nordregio’s work at the European level through the EU-funded GRANULAR project, where it serves as a foundation for developing a Europe-wide rural typology.
How urban or rural is your municipality? And how much variation exists within it? Zoom in and find out:
