Routledge Future Directions for the European Shrinking City (RTPI Library Series)

Urban shrinkage is rising to the top of the political agenda in Europe as more cities are shrinking in the prolonged economic downturn we encounter. Coupled with unprecedented budgetary austerity and rapidly ageing populations, ‘stagnating’ and ‘shrinking’ cities have emerged as a key challenge for policy and practice for decades to come. Local actors need to find new ways of collaborating across sectors, agencies and disciplines to unlock opportunities for interventions that mitigate the worst effects of urban shrinkage and long-term decline. Future Directions for the European Shrinking City focuses on policy and planning interventions that can be taken by municipalities and their local stakeholders to tackle stagnation and decline. With case studies from a range of European countries this book proposes ways to tackle shrinkage through governance, policy, planning, social, economic and management interventions. Edited by William J.V. Neill and Hans Schlappa, this book is ideally suited for policy makers and practitioners in urban planning, regeneration, and economic development dealing with pressing spatial and socio-economic issues on a European scale. Review "You will find in this book key answers for the dilemma that half of European cities are facing: How to deal with "shrinking" when expansion and growth were always the only way for decision makers and practitioners envisioned the future of their cities? How to develop a liveable city with this new paradigm and to transform threats in opportunities? With a variety of contributions, the authors call for new governance and strategy at the city level to bring together physical, social and economic interventions. They clearly confirm the priorities for 2014-2020 of European programmes on exchange and learning, like URBACT III, based on their experience." –Emmanuel Moulin, Head of the URBACT Secretariat "Shrinking cities are a pressing contemporary challenge for urban planners, designers, and policymakers in postindustrial societies around the globe. Highlighting European innovations in the social and governmental sectors, William Neill and Hans Schlappa’s volume will be a valuable resource for academics, practitioners, and citizens concerned with urban revitalization." –Brent D. Ryan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology "While contemporary urban studies and policy are seemingly obsessed with city growth, this landmark collection focuses on the flipside of decline. In Future Directions for the European Shrinking City, William J.V. Neill and Hans Schlappa have convened key international voices, analysing the causes, predicaments and the paths ahead for cities confronting shrinkage. This is a critical text for cross-disciplinary scholarship, debates and policy deliberation." –Andy Pike, Newcastle University "The mega-trends of shrinkage across Europe’s urban landscapes are clear. What we struggle with is how to tackle the complexity of challenges involved in making Europe’s shrinking cities liveable again. Neill and Schlappa address the issue directly by providing the reader with a vivid tapestry of workable strategies and practical solutions. We need more books like this one." –Vlad Mykhnenko, University of Birmingham About the Author William J. V. Neill is Emeritus Professor of Spatial Planning at the University of Aberdeen. He previously held academic appointments at the University of Manchester and Queen’s University Belfast. He completed a master’s degree in Urban Planning from the University of Michigan and completed his PhD at the University of Nottingham. He worked as an urban planner for the State of Michigan in the 1970s and 1980s with a particular focus on the shrinking city of Detroit. He is a former Council member of the Royal Town Planning Institute and was recently a member of an EU urban expert (URBACT) group on the future of European shrinking cities. Hans Schlappa is Senior Lecturer in Strategic Management at the Universi