The Process of Shrinkage as a Challenge to Urban Governance

Abstract

For many decades most researchers, planners and local authorities have been focusing almost exclusively on urban growth and its socio-economic and spatial consequences. However, in the current debate concerning the future of cities and regions in Europe the process of their shrinkage starts to attract more attention. In the conditions of a declining population, urban governance is an important challenge for local authorities, being usually much more difficult than during the periods of population growth. The experience of cities affected by shrinkage shows that there is no simple method of counteracting negative consequences of this process. Regeneration strategies vary a lot, depending mostly on the way the problem is perceived by both central and local governments. The strategies can either choose an adaptive approach (the acceptance of shrinkage and adjustment to it), or attempt to renew growth (shrinkage is treated as just a temporary phenomenon). Quite often the problem is ignored and no action is taken at all. In the paper the authors discuss the conditions and consequences of different approaches towards the process of shrinkage and present examples of regeneration strategies (together with their assessment). They conclude with recommendations for future urban policies.

Changes in the number of population in large cities of Central and East-Central Europe

“…Friedrich et al, 2014;Jaroszewska, Stryjakiewicz, 2014;Schoenberg, Constantin, 2014;Stryjakiewicz, 2013;Stryjakiewicz, Jaroszewska, 2016;Zborowski et al, 2012) are actually related to large cities? The results of the 5 Although officially the population of Tallinn has increased, the number of urban population in Estonia is falling.…”

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

“…This is confirmed by the variety of definitions related to this issue and different approaches to their operationalisation (e.g. Haase et al 2014;Stryjakiewicz et al 2014;Kantor-Pietraga et al 2014;Bernt 2015;Stryjakiewicz, Jaroszewska 2016;Haase et al 2017).…”

Urban Shrinkage and Sustainability: Assessing the Nexus between Population Density, Urban Structures and Urban Sustainability

“…Alternatively, shrinkage was considered by local political leaders to be a temporary phenomenon associated with post-socialist transformation [83]. Although some shrinking cities respond to changes in demand for public services (e.g., school closures in inner cities and expansion of homes for the elderly, or kindergartens in suburban locations [75,83]), it is almost Sustainability 2019, 11, 4142 5 of 22 always ad hoc response to isolated issues that are not attributed to the complex urban shrinkage problem [84]. Cases of explicit acceptance of shrinkage by local politicians are rare and isolated and only concern cities especially hardly hit by shrinkage (e.g., Lodz [84], Bytom [15], and Walbrzych [75]).…”

“…Although some shrinking cities respond to changes in demand for public services (e.g., school closures in inner cities and expansion of homes for the elderly, or kindergartens in suburban locations [75,83]), it is almost Sustainability 2019, 11, 4142 5 of 22 always ad hoc response to isolated issues that are not attributed to the complex urban shrinkage problem [84]. Cases of explicit acceptance of shrinkage by local politicians are rare and isolated and only concern cities especially hardly hit by shrinkage (e.g., Lodz [84], Bytom [15], and Walbrzych [75]). But holistic strategies aimed at adaptation to shrinkage [15,84], and particularly, problems of the land use and built environment (cf.…”

“…Cases of explicit acceptance of shrinkage by local politicians are rare and isolated and only concern cities especially hardly hit by shrinkage (e.g., Lodz [84], Bytom [15], and Walbrzych [75]). But holistic strategies aimed at adaptation to shrinkage [15,84], and particularly, problems of the land use and built environment (cf. [85]) are still lacking in post-socialist shrinking cities.…”