Responding to Tough Times: Policy and Planning Strategies in Shrinking Cities

Wiechmann, Thorsten; Bontje, Marco

doi:10.1080/09654313.2013.820077

Cited by 121 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…In a complicated reality the cities operate, a set of causes can be found (e.g. Oswalt, Rieniets 2006; Riecken, Martinez-Fernandez 2011; Haase et al 2014;Hospers 2012Richardson, Nam 2014;Stryjakiewicz et al 2014;Wiechmann, Bontje 2015), both external and internal in character, related, e.g. to the specifics of each city, its history as well as its political and socio-economic situation.…”

Section: The Context Of Urban Shrinkage and Regenerationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban Shrinkage and Regeneration of an Old Industrial City: The Case of Wałbrzych In Poland

Jaroszewska

2019

Quaestiones Geographicae

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The industry which was a driving force of the economy and contributed to the population growth in many cities for decades became later the source of their problems. The crisis of the activity of old industrial cities creating the economic base (especially of the traditional industry), provoked by the deindustrialisation process and in post-socialist countries additionally by the “shock” of the economic transformation, caused long-lasting and unfavourable changes in many areas. It resulted in the present process of shrinkage of old industrial cities in demographic, economic, social aspects as well as spatial ones (Bontje 2004; Oswalt 2005; Turok, Mykhnenko 2007; Pallagst et al. 2009; Cunningham-Sabot et al. 2010; Bontje, Musterd 2012; Hospers 2012, 2014; Haase et al. 2013; Pallagst et al. 2014; Stryjakiewicz 2014; Runge et al. 2018). This process can take a different course in different socio-economic patterns depending on the geographical situation and the time of observation. However, it leads to unfavourable results in each place, first of all to a decrease in the number of inhabitants. The aim of the article is twofold: (1) the identification and analysis of the process of urban shrinkage of Wałbrzych city as well as (2) the examination of different regeneration strategies adopted to mitigate negative effects of urban shrinkage. It is particularly important to understand this process and results of the adopted strategies especially in the context of the future development of this city which according to demographic forecasts will be shrinking in the long run.

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Section: The Context Of Urban Shrinkage and Regenerationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban Shrinkage and Regeneration of an Old Industrial City: The Case of Wałbrzych In Poland

Jaroszewska

2019

Quaestiones Geographicae

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“…The characteristics, patterns, and influences of shrinkage in large and medium-sized cities have attracted the attention of scholars [7][8][9]. However, there are currently only few studies on the shrinkage of small towns, and this phenomenon has not been fully discussed [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small towns shrinkage in the Jilin Province: A comparison between China and developed countries

Yao

Liu

et al. 2020

PLoS ONE

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Urban shrinkage is currently spreading at global level. At the same time, the scale of urban shrinkage is not limited to urban agglomerations, metropolitan areas, or big cities, but begins to expand to a vast number of small towns. Over the years, the characteristics, models, and mechanisms of shrinkage in large cities have attracted the attention of scholars; however, the problem of shrinkage in small towns has not been fully discussed. In China, small towns are located at the margins of cities and are the first part of the countryside; hence, they are the link and the bridge between urban and rural areas, and a space carrier to solve the diseases of big cities and for rural rejuvenation as a whole. However, in the process of rapid urbanization, some small towns have experienced urban shrinkage, mainly through a decline in township enterprises and the deterioration of the living environment, which has restricted their role in coordinating the spatial support of urban and rural development. Therefore, a correct understanding of the shrinkage of small towns has considerable theoretical and practical guiding significance. We focused on the towns of the Jilin Province as the research unit, and combined township population, economy, land use, and employment indices to establish an urban shrinkage index, identifying the status, spatial distribution, and influencing factors of small towns shrinkage in the Jilin Province. Moreover, we analyzed the similarities and differences of small towns shrinkage between the Jilin Province and developed countries. The results show that small towns shrinkage in the Jilin Province shares similar characteristics with developed countries, as well as important differences in aspects such as population migration, low-level industrial structure, and administrative division adjustments.

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“…This definition shows how complex this process is. In recent studies on urban shrinkage, the most significant determinants of this process include economic transformation, suburbanization, demographic transitions, and structural changes, such as political change and environmental contamination (Haase et al 2013;Reckien and Martinez-Fernandez 2011;Schatz 2010;Wiechmann and Bontje 2015); other determinants of urban shrinkage include armed conflicts and natural catastrophes (Krzysztofik et al 2015;Oswalt and Rieniets 2006). However, structural economic crisis is considered to be the most crucial factor for urban shrinkage.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban shrinkage and housing in a post-socialist city: relationship between the demographic evolution and housing development in Łódź, Poland

Szafrańska

Lille

Kazimierczak

2018

J Hous and the Built Environ

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For several decades, urban shrinkage has been a common pathway of demographic development for many large cities throughout Europe. Although this process began after the collapse of communism in most countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), it should not be interpreted merely as a consequence of systemic transformation. This process was accompanied by the rapid withdrawal of state involvement in the housing sector, which resulted in an escalation of the housing shortage inherited from the socialist period. Thus, the aim of this article is to present a perspective of shrinking in CEE, which is often marginalized in the global discourse on shrinkage. The main purpose is to investigate the relationship between housing and demographic changes after the collapse of communism and answer the following question: Is the old housing structure a positive legacy, a patrimonial inheritance, or a burden in the context of demographic decline? Methodologically, this paper is a case study illustrating the transformations of housing within the context of the historical and spatial demographic development in the selected city. We focus our attention on the example of Łódź, Poland, which reflects the entire CEE spectrum of problems associated with shrinkage while presenting some particularities. However, the shrinkage phenomenon in Łódź also presents an opportunity for improving future housing options. Within a wider context, this example can be considered a lens for the very complex demographic and housing situation of CEE cities. This case shows that legacies of the communist regime influence the relationship between the demographic decline and housing situation and that even a city with a high range in the urban network can be affected by a severe decline.

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Responding to Tough Times: Policy and Planning Strategies in Shrinking Cities

Cited by 121 publications

References 25 publications

Urban Shrinkage and Regeneration of an Old Industrial City: The Case of Wałbrzych In Poland

Urban Shrinkage and Regeneration of an Old Industrial City: The Case of Wałbrzych In Poland

Small towns shrinkage in the Jilin Province: A comparison between China and developed countries

Urban shrinkage and housing in a post-socialist city: relationship between the demographic evolution and housing development in Łódź, Poland

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