From the city to the countryside in times of crisis. The process of counterurbanization and re-ruralisation produced by the pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and confinement have been a critical event with serious psycho-emotional, social and collective health consequences, and of a scope and extent previously unknown to most of today's generations. In this context of socio-health crisis, a phenomenon of counter-urbanisation and re-ruralisation took place whereby a significant number of people made a residential shift from urban to rural settings. The motivations behind this "great escape" are analysed here, both explicit and verbalised factors and those that appear in an underlying and connotative way. The analysis is based on a qualitative and quantitative analysis of primary information (interviews, questionnaires and focus groups) and secondary sources. Although this process of urban exodus took place in different countries, we will focus on the Spanish case.