This paper aims at casting light on the hidden challenge of shrinking cities. Its main hypothesis is that in the current debate on the effects of demographic change and city management shrinking cities are widely neglected but will be a major urbanization issue in the near future. The first part ’Growth and decline of cities’ presents and discusses world urbanization trends. Hereby the idea is to contrast trends of growing urbanization and population increase with the spreading phenomenon of shrinking cities. Furthermore the conditions for the rise and decline of cities are identified. Based on this more introductory part, the chapter ‘Cities with a past but no future?’ focuses on case studies of city shrinkage. Among the most often found cases in the literature, which are also highlighted in this paper are cities such as Detroit and Manchester.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Growth and decline of cities
- The conditions for city growth and decline
- Time, space and city development
- Shrinkage and the death of public sphere
- Cities with a past but no future?
- Shrinking industries - Detroit is not alone
- The East German case
- What can be done?
- Concluding Remarks
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper examines the hidden challenge of shrinking cities, arguing that they are often overlooked in the discussion of urbanization and demographic change, despite their growing importance in the near future.
- The global trend of urbanization and its uneven distribution across cities and regions.
- The conditions that favor city growth or lead to its decline, including economic shifts, demographic changes, and natural catastrophes.
- Case studies of shrinking cities, particularly those in the United States and East Germany, highlighting the impact of industrial decline and other factors.
- The implications of shrinking cities for urban planning and management, emphasizing the need for strategies to address the challenges posed by declining populations and resources.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The first chapter introduces the topic of shrinking cities and contrasts the prevailing focus on growing megacities with the increasing phenomenon of urban decline. It also provides a brief overview of global urbanization trends and their underlying causes.
Chapter 2 explores the factors that contribute to city growth and decline, highlighting the complexities involved in understanding urban development. It examines the role of economic shifts, demographic changes, and natural events in shaping the trajectory of cities.
Chapter 3 delves into case studies of shrinking cities, focusing on examples such as Detroit, Manchester, and East German cities. It analyzes the causes of decline in these cities, including industrial restructuring, economic stagnation, and population loss.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Shrinking cities, urban decline, urbanization, demographic change, industrial restructuring, economic shift, population loss, city management, urban planning.
- Quote paper
- Malko Ebers (Author), 2005, Shrinking cities, the hidden challenge, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/52635
