The population of Cyprus continues to concentrate in cities, and the rural area is gradually empty. Young families leave the villages and, amid the general aging of the population, the inequality in the development between the city and the village is growing. At the same time, life in urban centers is becoming more expensive, and renting even a two -spar apartment has become unbearable for many residents.
The chairman of the Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (NTPK), Konstantinos Constanti, notes that the concentration of economic and social activity in cities leads to severe pressure on the infrastructure. Loaded roads, lack of parking spaces, high housing prices become everyday reality. At the same time, rural areas are faced with degradation: the volume of agriculture and livestock is reduced, the risk of desertification and fires is increased.
The Chairman of the Council for Registration of Realtors Marinos Kinegir emphasizes that for young people, renting or buying housing in the city has become almost inaccessible. Even a small apartment is a luxury. Against this background, legislative restrictions look irrational, which limit the area of agricultural buildings and prevent the countryside to develop from a town -planning point of view. This forces young people to migrate to cities, where demand only strengthens the rise in prices. At the same time, the number of children is reduced in the villages, rural schools are closed, the infrastructure is cut off, and many houses turn out to be abandoned.
By tradition, Cypriots prefer to live in their own homes, but a sharp increase in the cost of construction is increasingly pushing them to choose an apartment. This changes the appearance of residential buildings and creates new social and environmental challenges.
Experts agree that without a comprehensive state policy, it is impossible to stop the extinction of the village. Among the proposed measures are tax benefits for business in rural areas, support for youth entrepreneurship, creating affordable housing and investment in infrastructure.
Particular attention is proposed to pay the digitalization of rural areas and the development of renewable energy sources. Each settlement could have its own photoelectric economy, reducing electricity costs and increasing stability.
In fact, Cyprus faces a strategically important choice: and continue to push the population into city centers or invest in the revival of villages. The first path threatens to overstrain infrastructure and the growth of social inequality, the second will help to follow the path of uniform development, stability and preservation of cultural heritage. As Marinos Kinegir emphasized, the state should expand the incentives available in cities and to rural areas. This is the only way to return life to the villages and create real incentives for their development.
The text is prepared according to Sigmalive materials
