The JGS Editors’ Choice Article is one article from each issue that the editors recognise as providing an especially significant contribution to the field. The selected articles are announced through Twitter @JGeoSys and @Springernomics and listed on the JGS Editors’ Choice Article website. The recognized papers will be made free access for a certain amount of time.

The JGS Editors’ Choice of the current volume 23(2), the Special Issue “Spatial Demography in Regional Science” is

Projecting the demographic impact of Syrian migration in a rapidly ageing society, Germany

by Niall Newsham and Francisco Rowe (https://doi.org/10.1007/s10109-018-00290-y).

This paper is novel and timely, both in terms of the methodological approach and in terms of the topic. Employing deterministic and Bayesian probabilistic projection methods to the case of Syrian refugees to Germany, the authors demonstrate how immigration may be an imperfect panacea for growing concerns about demographic replacement and population ageing in a European context. A particular strength of this research is the focus on geographical variations in fertility outcomes across German states, taking into account the spatial selectivity of the settlement of Syrian migrants. In summary, the combination of innovative methods and investigation of an important demographic phenomenon makes this an especially valuable contribution to existing research on population change, fertility and immigration.

On behalf of the editors-in-chief, the guest-editors and the editorial team of Journal of Geographical Systems, our warmest congratulations to the awardees of the JGS Editors’ Choice Award!