Governing urban shrinkage in Europe's large cities An in-depth study of shrinking cities can help unveil their problems and find remedies to reverse their downward development. Exchange of knowledge forms the base for intelligent responses to declining populations and slowing economies. Industrial Technologies © Thinkstock As the EU comes together, it is opening up a myriad of work opportunities and spurring mobility among its cities and nations. While this generally boosts industry and competitiveness, many urban areas are witnessing a rapid decrease in their population, rendering current laws and policies in some of these areas ineffective or obsolete. The EU-funded project 'Governance of shrinkage within a European context' (Shrink SMART) studied how governance systems and their policies are affecting urban regions. In order to improve urban governance and reawaken development, the project studied seven disadvantaged regions in eastern and southern Europe to analyse shrinkage, looking also at examples in western Europe. In Poland, the project looked at the cities of Bytom and Sosnowiec, while in Romania it studied shrinkage in Timisoara, the third most populous city in the country. Donetsk in Ukraine, considered a major economic, industrial and scientific centre of the country, was also studied, as was the Czech Republic's third largest city, Ostrava. In western Europe, the project looked at Leipzig and Halle in eastern Germany, in addition to Liverpool in the United Kingdom. Italy's city of Genoa also benefited from the project team's in-depth studies. Overall, the team was able to identify the impact of shrinkage on urban and regional development, showing how a decreasing population affected the livelihood of communities. It closely investigated the dynamics between local institutional structures, decision making and the challenges of shrinkage. Revealing how the public and private sectors interact with governmental institutions and frameworks in these cities, the project elaborated new policy recommendations and tools on how to address shrinkage. Overall, this study could potentially help revitalise these cities and transform them into attractive places to live in, reversing the declining trend and revitalising whole communities.
