ABSTRACT

The chance offered by shrinking cities lies in the potential to trigger changes, reforms, and even innovations in planning and urban design. This chapter first discusses how and why some cities have experienced shrinkage and presents planning policies and design strategies for dealing with shrinkage. Two different contexts were selected for this comparative research: one city in Germany (Herne), and one city in the United States (Cleveland, Ohio). Both cities show comparable conditions in terms of their shrinkage paths, population development, and economic structures, yet their planning contexts are different. Drawing from this comparative exploration, this chapter highlights how shrinkage has affected these two cities and details how they have responded.