The European Arctic was the most heterogeneous of the three study regions and comprised territories of five states: Denmark (including Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. In comparison to other parts of the Arctic, the region has a relatively well-developed transport infrastructure, especially in northern Fennoscandia. Still, compared to the political centers of Fennoscandia, the region is characterized by a declining rural population, sparse settlements, and long travel distances, both within the region and to external markets. This, in conjunction with the Arctic being viewed as a strategically important region, has resulted in large resource allocations by the respective states for development and infrastructure projects. Infrastructure development across the nations is of major concern to regional cooperation initiatives, such as the West Nordic Council and the Barents Euro-Arctic Transport Area, which seek to foster economic and social development by strengthening transport corridors both within the region and to external markets. Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and with Finland and Sweden joining NATO , the importance of military presence and military co-operations has significantly risen. This study region consisted of the following case study areas, which are located in the map:

• Longyearbyen/Svalbard
  Longyearbyen, Svalbard is a former coal-mining company town at the tail end of economic restructuring and is today a tourist town with a strong research and education sector. The town is of great geo-political importance for Norway as it ensures Norwegian presence on Svalbard and the high Arctic. Due to its insular location and busy airport, Longyearbyen is at the same time remote and central. An upgrade of the port in order to make it a central hub along the NSR is a central part of Norway’s Arctic strategy.

• Kirkenes & Rovaniemi
  Kirkenes, Norway is located at the Barents Sea coast at the border with Russia. The former mining town that has been long identified as a multicultural cross-border community with strong ties to Russia, since the beginning of the war in 2022 it has been in search for a new identity. Its natural ice-free seaport bears potential for situating Kirkenes as a major transportation hub along the Northern Sea Route, but so far it lacks connection to the rail network.
  Rovaniemi is the capital of Finnish Lapland and is a well-connected tourism hub. While the railway connection to southern Finland is operational, a direct connection to the Northern Sea Route is lacking. Several plans and infrastructural imaginaries have been proposed to establish efficient transport routes, including linking to the Swedish Iron Ore Line leading to the ice-free port of Narvik, as well as constructing a railway to Kirkenes – an option that is currently unlikely given prevailing geopolitical tensions.

• Kiruna & Narvik
  The Swedish case focused on two mining towns, Kiruna and Gällivare, located in Norrbotten County on the traditional territory of Sámi reindeer herders. Kiruna and Gällivare are the most significant mining towns in the European Arctic, serving as key suppliers of resources essential to Europe’s green energy transition. The two communities are approximately 120 km apart along the railway linking Luleå (Sweden) on the Gulf of Bothnia with Narvik (Norway) on the Arctic Ocean. Completed in 1902, the railway has enabled efficient ore transport but has also disrupted Sámi reindeer herding practices. Both Kiruna and Gällivare experience population decline, although current losses are moderate. In 2004, the state-owned mining company Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara AB (LKAB) determined that Kiruna would need to be gradually relocated approximately 4 km from its original city centre in order to ensure safety and allow mining operations to continue. The Malmberget mine has also driven significant relocations in the Gällivare area, with large parts of the former Malmberget community being gradually phased out and rebuilt in nearby Gällivare as a result of ground deformation from mining operations.

• Faroe Islands
  This sub-Arctic archipelago consisting of 18 islands is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Being uninhabited until the 9th century, the islands have recently surpassed 50,000 inhabitants. The Faroese economy is dominated by the fishing industry; however, after the fisheries collapse in the early 1990ies, the country is trying to diversify their activities. Tourism is an emerging sector. In the last decades, the Faroese government started an ambitious plan to interconnect the islands via tunnels and bridges, including several sub-seas tunnels, in order to stop and revert population losses in the most remote municipalities, and to avoid greater concentration in the capital of Tórshavn.

• Greenland
  While Greenland (Kalaallit Nunaat) is the largest island in the world, there are no roads or railways that link the almost 70 communities that dot the island’s coasts. The country’s air transit system, instead, serves as its main source of year-round mass transport, linking communities and businesses together and creating access to the globe. A legacy of its colonial past, American military activities during World War II, and the early years of its former Home-Rule government, this network of airports, heliports, and helipads is set to be realigned by the country’s new airport expansion package. Part of a broader vision for the country’s future, which is both independent and international, the plan promises to increase tourism, trade, and travel possibilities through the construction of two additional international airports and one new regional hub, while additional locations for new airports are under discussion. Yet, the increased connection expected by new airports will also upend much of the island’s current transportation network increasing access to some communities while potentially contributing to the isolation and displacement of others. Study communities included Nuuk/Kangerlussuaq and Tasiilaq.