Handbook on Shrinking Cities - Karina Pallagst;Marco Bontje;Emmanuèle Cunningham Sabot;René Fleschurz

Offering a timely response to the endurance of decline in cities across the globe, contributions from top scholars showcase a wide range of perspectives on the ongoing challenges of shrinkage. Chapters cover topics of ‘governance’, ‘greening’ and ‘right-sizing’, and ‘regrowth’, laying the relevant groundwork for the Handbook’s proposals for dealing with shrinkage in the age of COVID-19 and beyond. Leading experts in the fields of urban and regional development contribute novel ideas pertinent to the future of shrinking cities, considering factors such as economic prosperity, liveability, social stability, and innovation, ultimately representing a paradigmatic shift from growth-centred planning to the notion of ‘shrinking sustainably’.

In suggesting strategies to reverse decline and generate newer, more robust development, this prescient Handbook will prove beneficial to scholars of human geography and urban planning. The wide range of case studies will also make this a vital read for planning practitioners.