KRONORURALISM : En Spatial analys av obemannade butiker på den svenska glesbygden.

Sammanfattning

Chrono-Ruralism: A spatial analysis of unmanned grocery stores in the Swedish countryside Jakob Flykt ABSTRACT This study aims to, with the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), identify the demographic and place specific conditions required for the sustainable establishment and longevity of unmanned grocery stores in rural Sweden. As traditional rural stores face a steep decline following years of urbanization and the rise of retail parks. Digitalization has enabled unmanned grocery stores as a potential remedy to maintain essential services in rural areas. Through a quantitative spatial analysis using ArcGIS Pro, the study models accessibility within a 15-minute travel time by walking, cycling, and driving to evaluate and analyze potential customer bases. The analysis compares stores operating with state commercial service support to those that technically could be eligible for it but survive without it. The results indicate that car travel is the defining factor for accessibility in rural contexts, mirroring the 15-minute walk in urban planning. Findings suggest a minimum critical mass of approximately 350 permanent residents, or a significant tourist presence of roughly 250 holiday homes are required within the 15-minute car service for a store to be viable. Although areas dominated by holiday homes and tourism demonstrate resilience without subsidies, stores in mill towns (bruksorter) generally remain dependent on state subsidies. The study also aims to introduce the concept of "Chrono-Ruralism" (Kronoruralism) derived from Carlos Moreno's chrono-urbanism as a planning framework for providing accessible service in rural areas. KEYWORDS: Unmanned grocery stores, Rural areas, GIS, Spatial analysis, chrono-ruralism.