Commuting and regional interaction in Eastern Norway

With commuting as the main indicator for regional integration we describe a series of intra- and interrregional contact patterns in the Eastern part of Norway. The main focus is on the largest urban regions such as Nedre Glomma, Oslo and the cities on both sides of Lake Mjøsa. Commuting has increased strongly over the period in question, with an average annual growth rate of four to five percent over the whole period 1980-2003 for all regions and relations, with the exception of the commuting from the nearby counties to Oslo, which has grown significantly less. The balance ratio between in- and out-commuting to the Oslo region has changed from 10:1 in 1980 to less than 5:1 in 2003. Another general characteristic is that commuting grew significantly less in the period 2000-03 than the average for the entire period 1980-2003.