ABSTRACT

Urban shrinkage is rising to the top of the political agenda in Europe as more cities are shrinking in the prolonged economic downturn we encounter. Coupled with unprecedented budgetary austerity and rapidly ageing populations, ‘stagnating’ and ‘shrinking’ cities have emerged as a key challenge for policy and practice for decades to come. Local actors need to find new ways of collaborating across sectors, agencies and disciplines to unlock opportunities for interventions that mitigate the worst effects of urban shrinkage and long-term decline.

Future Directions for the European Shrinking City focuses on policy and planning interventions that can be taken by municipalities and their local stakeholders to tackle stagnation and decline. With case studies from a range of European countries this book proposes ways to tackle shrinkage through governance, policy, planning, social, economic and management interventions.

Edited by William J.V. Neill and Hans Schlappa, this book is ideally suited for policy makers and practitioners in urban planning, regeneration, and economic development dealing with pressing spatial and socio-economic issues on a European scale.

chapter 2|16 pages

Carry on Shrinking?

The Bankruptcy of Urban Policy in Detroit

chapter 3|17 pages

Governing Social Cohesion in Shrinking Cities

The Cases of Ostrava, Genoa and Leipzig

chapter 4|11 pages

Civic Engagement and Development Strategies

Learning from the Experience of Participatory Rural Redevelopment

chapter 6|13 pages

Doing Things Differently

Co-producing Responses to Urban Shrinkage

chapter 7|13 pages

The Challenge of Temporary Usage in the Shrinking City

A Report from the ‘Laboratory of Berlin'

chapter 8|19 pages

Shrinking Cities and Food

Place-making for Sustainable Renewal, Reuse and Retrofit

chapter 9|24 pages

Green Open Spaces and Urban Perforation

Opportunities, Concepts and Challenges for Shrinking Cities

chapter 11|14 pages

Managing Service Infrastructures in Shrinking Cities

Challenges and Opportunities

chapter 12|11 pages

Coming of Age

Age-friendly Strategies for Shrinking Cities

chapter 13|12 pages

If Not Growth What Then?

Re-thinking the Strategy Process for Shrinking Cities

chapter 14|11 pages

Conclusions

Priorities for Tackling Shrinkage in Europe's Cities