Week 11: Shrinking Cities

Our class discussion focused on shrinking cities, the idea of sustainability, and regenerative sustainability. Shrinking cities have common characteristics -- a decline in population and jobs, increasing crime rates and social failures, and a surplus of vacant or abandoned properties. Basically, shrinking cities are too big for the resources they have. The sustainability vision for addressing shrinking cities is a focus on people not just places with a community buy-in and acceptance of a long-term commitment. Beyond this, regenerative sustainability seeks to take the community actions to the next level by using measures designed to reclaim, repurpose, urban greening, and sustainable reuse.

         A Smart City Radio podcast, "Shrinking Cities," provided three viewpoints with a national backstory, but yet demonstrate that shrinking cities are a global issue.  Specifically, the commentator, Carol Coletta interviewed Thorsten Weichman of the Institute of Ecological and Regional Development in Dresden, Germany, Christina Martinez-Fernandez, a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Western Syndney, and Emmanuele Sabot, a Research Fellow at Universite Rennes (France). Each of these experts also plays a role in a global group studying shrinking cities.

         The conversation began with Weichman and a discussion focused on Dresden and other Eastern European cities as shrinking cities. He linked the shrinking phenomenon to the changes occurring after the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Specifically, he attributed the declines to the political change, the change from a state-led economy to a market-driven economy, post-Socialist pressures, and the globalization of markets. He also noted the significant decline in fertility rates as well as the impact of aging on shrinking cities. Weichman described that Dresden, like many other shrinking cities, held a strategy of planning and political focus as one linked to growth versus a more progressive focus on livability. City leaders needed to redefine success as economic productivity versus the size of the population and expanse of real estate. He provided the example of Dresden, a city with economic growth (GDP of 6% annual growth) and a social security system but no job growth (unemployment rate of 15%). He stated the economy is doing well because of the industries there -- microelectronic technology, biotechnology, shipping, and even a VW plant. Weichman stated that while lack of jobs may drive the young away, the brain drain poses more risks. For the future, he states Dresden and other Eastern European cities need to focus on organizing the transformation to more investment in centrified city resources and move away from suburbanization.

         Martinez-Fernandez defined shrinking cities as those experiencing declines in population, jobs, or economic activity. She noted that these occur on a continuum and in cycles and that a city might have these separately or in combination with other declines. Martinez-Fernandez addressed the issue of shrinking cities from a focus on the contextual situation of a city. Using Australia as her examples, she noted four main factors causing declines were: population movement from rural to cities, movement to coastal areas, climate change, and issues related to economics -- industrial decline, manufacturing issues, and fluctuation in minerals for mining cities. She also noted the effect of globalization on these issues. Martinez-Fernandez, noting that the previous four were not controllable factors, then described how innovation was the controllable factor to foster a climate of growth, prosperity, and wealth creation. With innovation, she believes a shrinking city needs to establish networking to provide for the flow of knowledge in a civic minded society. She amplified the need for creating a climate of competition for new knowledge, which leads to innovation. In turn, Martinez-Fernandez believes cities need to change their paradigm focused on growth to one of how the environment provides a full life for its population through city vitality, intellectual drive, and fun drive -- more happy citizens means more equity.

         Sabot discussed her study of the urban decline in the United Kingdom and France and found shrinking cities was not an imminent national issue for either country. The larger cities like London continue to experience a growing population due to immigration from Eastern European countries. She noted these major cities continue to operate from a paradigm of growth as census data over repeated decades indicates shrinkage is actually declining due to immigration factors.  However, Sabot indicated each country experienced shrinking cities at the local and regional levels. Specifically, she noted the decline in traditional manufacturing and industrial cities as they shift to a service industry. Her study also found that a smaller gap scale of shrinkage occurs in France as compared to the UK. She referred to the shrinking of cities in France, mainly in places without universities, as a silent process and states the national government may not yet realize that shrinking cities exist. She addressed the idea that connections matter, both transportation and infrastructure. It is the lack of connections between small villages and the cities that contributes to their decline. Overall, to address the issue of shrinking cities Sabot believes the focus for the future requires public policy to focus on the reaction of the communities towards the policies. To understand the policies, the local community must understand them and their impact -- good for everyone or only a part of the population.

         Overall, the consensus among the three interviewed experts and our class activities is that shrinking is not necessarily a negative. The positive outcomes afforded, especially under regenerative sustainability, ensure a healthy balance between socio and ecological factors in changing communities.

Resource links:

podcast.smartcityradio.com.s3.amazon.com/030807SMARTCITY.mp3