Excessive rightsizing? The interdependence of public school closures and population shrinkage

Abstract

Shrinking cities have, by definition, lost population. Rightsizing is a strategic planning approach to mitigate the challenges of population loss by adjusting a municipality's services, amenities, or even footprint to fit a new demographic reality. While studies have documented the unacceptability and ineptitude of municipality‐driven rightsizing, public school closures have proliferated and quietly become a noteworthy material manifestation of population change. However, as public schools are widely considered to be a foundational component of community cohesion, identity, and prosperity, it begs the question of whether their closure may accelerate the decline feedback mechanisms already present in many shrinking cities. Our study examines public school closures in Ontario, Canada, from 2011 to 2016 to determine the relationship between municipal population trajectories and size and public school closures, and to explore the prevalence of school closures and the community context in shrinking Ontario municipalities. We find that public school closures occurred disproportionately in shrinking and smaller municipalities. Furthermore, public school closure prevalence is associated with low income, low ethnoracial diversity, and low educational attainment.

Revisiting small and mid‐sized cities in Canada: Old questions, new challenges*

“…Two of the special section contributions focus on demographic issues in Canadian SMCs. Barber et al (2023) investigate school closures in 372 Ontario municipalities from 2011 to 2016, revealing their disproportionate impact on smaller, shrinking municipalities with aging, less educated, lower-income, and less diverse populations. Shrinking municipalities experienced over four times more school closures per capita than those experiencing growth.…”

“…There is a growing recognition that SMCs serve as repositories of innovation in urban theory and policy, offering distinct contexts for technology, culture, creativity, and collaboration, and potentially holding the key to Canada's collective well-being (e.g., Flatt, 2018; SDG Cities, 2021). SMCs, however, grapple with the global forces which channel resources to larger cities (Barber et al, 2023;Filion, 2023;Grant et al, 2019). "Slow growth," "shrinking," "less favoured," "peripheral," "intermediate," and "second tier" or "third tier" are all terms reflecting Canada's diverse urban geographies and are fundamentally about the broader socio-spatial and power relationships that disadvantage SMCs (e.g., Hall & Hall, 2008;Hartt, 2021).…”

Revoir les petites et moyennes villes du Canada : questions d'hier, défis d'aujourd'hui*

“…D'ailleurs, on s'entend de plus en plus entre chercheurs et chercheuses sur le fait que les PMV sont des foyers d'innovation en matière de théorie et de stratégie urbaines, de même qu'elles présentent leurs propres réalités en matière de technologie, de culture, de créativité et de collaboration, sans compter qu'elles semblent détenir la clé du bien‐être collectif au Canada (Flatt, 2018; SDG Cities, 2021). Toutefois, celles‐ci sont aux prises avec ces mêmes forces qui, de par le monde, canalisent les ressources vers les grandes villes et les métropoles (Barber et al, 2023; Filion, 2023; Grant et al, 2019). « Stagnation », « décroissance », « défavorisation », « périphéricité », « intermédiarité » ou « subordination », ces expressions souvent accolées aux PMV évoquent les grands rapports de force qui caractérisent la géographie urbaine du Canada (Hall et Hall, 2008; Hartt, 2021).…”

“…Deux articles de la section spéciale traitent du volet démographique des PMV canadiennes. Barber et al (2023) étudient les fermetures d'écoles effectuées dans 372 municipalités ontariennes, entre 2011 et 2016. Ils font ressortir leur incidence disproportionnée sur les municipalités en décroissance et de petite taille dont les populations vieillissantes affichent de faibles niveaux d'instruction, de revenu et de diversité ethnoculturelle.…”