Development in the last decade was characterized by economic, social and spatial shrinking. This phenomenon is observed in many Western and post-Soviet countries. In spite of the existence of wide-spread research and publications on shrinking the concept rarely are applied to rural areas outside metropolitan regions. Until now there is no national-level in-depth research or targeted policies towards shrinking phenomenon in Latvia. The aim of the study is to examine if and how the concept of population shrinkage is represented in Latvian rural ar eas, and how this phenomenon might be incorporated in spatial development of the country. The article explores the inconsistence of application of shrinking at the Latvian context. Theoretical concepts used in this research are the result of a review of the literature. Empirical research is carried out in seven local municipalities of the former Alūksne, Balvi and Gulbene districts in north-eastern Latvia by interviewing local government employees and analysing statistical data and policy documents. Spatial shrinking is wider concept than population decline by in corporating not only demographics but also drivers, outcomes and impacts of the process as well as governance, planning and policy response aspects. Our study indicates that whole Latvia, both its rural and urban spaces, has to be considered as shrinking territory that needs to prepare place-specific policies for different areas. The investigation results approve that Latvian countryside can be defined as typically shrinking. This process requires a change in attitude among decision-makers at both national and regional governmental levels. The scarcity and incompleteness of available data is reflective of the realities of regional policy implementation. Drivers of rural spatial shrinking are due to socio-economic structural changes and rescaling and consequent changes of former economic, social and cultural linkages. Shrinkage processes have an impact on rural social capital and services. Shrinking requires the need for a set of innovative; knowledge-, evidence-and place-based; coordinat ed; pro-active; multi-disciplinary; spatial; economic and socially-targeted policy measures.

This article aims at a better comprehension of urban-rural interactions as a spatial concept and its utilization for spatial and regional policies. Based on literature review and on interviews with planners and experts, the article explores how the concept of urban-rural interactions is defined, characterized and structured. The understanding of urban and rural, how they are connected provides a basis for capturing complexities and development of urban-rural interactions. The study, reviews urban-rural policies and practises in Latvia. Contemporary built-up areas and lifestyles are influenced by imprints of past urban-rural interactions. Aspects of contextuality, cross-sectorality and informality have to be taken into consideration when urban-rural interactions are applied to the policy field. The article introduces a typology to capture both the diversity and particularity of places in terms of urban-rural connectivity. An insight is given how the current Latvian local government territorial structure can contribute to building target-oriented urban-rural partnerships.

Concepts of Rurality and Urbanity as Analytical Categories in Multidimensional Research This paper is a review of the concepts of rurality and urbanity and of various approaches to their differentiation. The author reviews the continuum and dichotomy of rurality and urbanity and the challenges that occur when seeking to differentiate between them. The author has reviewed the descriptive approach, which is based on empirical data, as well as the social approach, which is based on various social agents and different ways of perceiving space. The author has evaluated various approaches to studying rural-urban separation, focusing on the challenges that are created by contemporary developments in society. New forms of populated areas are emerging, and they do not correspond to this binary separation. Both rural and urban areas are becoming increasingly multidimensional and interactions between them more intensive. "Urban" and "rural" are abstractions and metaphors that are needed to ensure human communications which enables the bridging of knowledge from one area of science or politics to another. That is particularly relevant for interdisciplinary research such as spatial and environmental studies. In the conclusion, the author reviews the way in which rurality and urbanity are studied by researchers in Latvia.

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