Urban shrinkage in the EU

Abstract

Urban shrinkage in the European Union (EU) can be understood as a local manifestation of the interplay of one or more economic, spatial, demographic, and political forces. A first cause of urban shrinkage in the EU is economic transformation: economic decline and population decline are closely linked. Urban shrinkage is an example of what the Swedish economist Myrdal termed cumulative causation. The problems urban shrinkage creates have triggered policy makers all over the EU to develop strategies. Sometimes these measures are explicitly aimed at coping with shrinkage, while in other cases existing urban policies are intensified. In the north-west of Europe, policy makers seem to be more realistic in their response to urban shrinkage. For shrinking cities and towns in the EU, engaging citizens more intensively might be the way forward. Preaching community engagement in shrinking cities and towns is not enough it must go hand in hand with public measures to enable community participation.

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