Plan Implementation Challenges in a Shrinking City

Abstract

Note: This is not the final version (but very close) that published on the JAPA. Per requests from some scholars, I'd love to share this version.

Satellite monitoring of shrinking cities on the globe and containment solutions

“…A persistent loss of population usually has a negative impact on shrinking cities ( Table S2 ), including economic hardship ( García-Ayllón, 2016 ; Pagano and Bowman, 2004 ), social disruption ( Frazier et al., 2013 ; Hudson, 2005 ; Rybczynski and Linneman, 1999 ), abandonment of built environments ( Blanco et al., 2009 ; Greenberg and Schneider, 1996 ; Lee and Newman, 2017 ), and urban planning problems ( Pallagst, 2009 ; Ryan and Gao, 2019 ). According to the inflow-outflow migration statistics from Baidu Huiyan in China, 43% of labor productivity in urban areas decreased 22% because of urban shrinkage ( Yang et al., 2020 ).…”

The projected impacts of smart decline on urban runoff contamination levels

“…2.3 Smart decline, vacant regreening, and impacts on pollutant load Some shrinking US cities have switched from conventional growth-oriented planning to smart decline strategies. Smart decline plans for less development; in such approaches, cities minimize municipal expenditures, reclaim and repurpose vacant land and abandoned buildings, adjust infrastructure and amenities to align with developmental demands of their shrinking population, and manage decline to ensure a higher quality of life of their residents (Herrmann et al, 2016;Ryan & Gao, 2019). Through smart decline, cities target new development in the most promising areas or nodes; areas with low development potential are managed, repurposed through community needs or allowed to return to nature as much as possible (LaCroix, 2011).…”

“…There are several strategies used in smart decline including: 1) built environment improvement, with the goal of ameliorating abandonment and vacancy; 2) community development aimed at improving the local economy and existing infrastructure; 3) administration reform, focusing on adjusting the form and function of municipal governance; and 4) civic engagement, transforming top-down planning into a grassroots approach. Built environment improvement strategies are a primary focus of smart decline, with VLRG being the most commonly used built environment strategy (Ryan & Gao, 2019).…”

“…This phenomenon is commonly existing in most of shrinking cities, not only for St. Louis. The top-down manner of historic planning approaches more or less left to smart decline strategy (Ryan & Gao, 2019). Community engagement is still one of the weaknesses of smart decline.…”

“…To counteract the negative impacts of urban shrinkage, many declining US cities have switched from a conventional growth-oriented planning paradigm to approaches favoring 'smart decline' (Newman, Park, Bowman, & Lee, 2018). Smart decline plans for less; in such approaches, cities minimize municipal expenditures, reclaim and repurpose vacant land and abandoned buildings, adjust infrastructure and amenities to align with developmental demands of their shrinking population, and manage decline to ensure a higher quality of life of their residents (Herrmann et al, 2016;Ryan & Gao, 2019). The repurposing of vacant lots to functional and managed green space as a smart decline strategy can have a significant effect on stormwater runoff reduction, climate regulation, air quality improvement and nonpoint source (NPS) pollution mitigation, especially in legacy cities (Anderson & Minor, 2017;Heckert, Schilling, & Carlet, 2015;Kondo, Hohl, Han, & Branas, 2016;Shuster, Dadio, Drohan, Losco, & Shaffer, 2014;Zheng et al, 2012).…”