ABSTRACT
Using empirical evidence from research undertaken in the German federal state of Brandenburg and the city of Frankfurt (Oder) this chapter investigates the impact of shrinking processes on water infrastructure and the emerging regional disparities of water supply and wastewater disposal systems. We first summarize the main transformation trends in the German water sector. We then give an overview over the problems of drinking water supply and wastewater disposal in shrinking regions in Eastern Germany. Following this, we investigate the conflicts around the privatization of water infrastructures in Frankfurt (Oder) and Brandenburg. Finally, we interpret our empirical findings in the light of the ‘splintering urbanism’ approach, and suggest some
conceptual modifications to enable this approach to grasp the socio-spatial dimensions of infrastructural change under conditions of shrinkage.
