ABSTRACT
Leipzig has undergone several developments over the past three decades. German Reunification was followed by unexpectedly widespread de-industrialisation and shrinkage in the 1990s. In the 2000s, the city experienced moderate re-growth and, in the 2010s, dynamic re-growth. While in the 1990s, the city was a paradigmatic example of post-socialist shrinkage, in the 2010s it became the fastest-growing city in Germany. The background and causes of this re-growth are related to massive public investments, subsidies and support programmes in practically all policy fields and sectors. Those investments were instrumental in mobilising large amounts of private capital, which has been invested in all urban sectors. Yet re-growth also has undesirable aspects: Leipzig is now facing a shortage of affordable housing and schools, as well as problems related to increasing traffic. Against this background, our chapter identifies and explains the specific challenges and problems of “growth after shrinkage” (re-growth) in the case of Leipzig. It focuses on three municipal policy fields in greater depth: the housing market, public schools and public transport. Our analysis shows that re-growth affects these policy fields to very different degrees and creates pressure for action. Urban policy-makers respond to this pressure for action with various programmes and measures.
