Urban shrinkage in Germany and the USA: A Comparison of Transformation Patterns and Local Strategies

International Journal of Urban and Regional Research - Tập 36 Số 2 - Trang 261-280 - 2012
Thorsten Wiechmann1, Karina Pallagst2
1TU Dortmund Univ., Germany#TAB#
2Universität Kaiserslautern, Germany

Tóm tắt

AbstractMany American and European cities have to deal with demographic and economic trajectories leading to urban shrinkage. According to official data, 13% of urban regions in the US and 54% of those in the EU have lost population in recent years. However, the extent and spatial distribution of declining populations differ significantly between Europe and the US. In Germany, the situation is driven by falling birth rates and the effects of German reunification. In the US, shrinkage is basically related to long‐term industrial transformation. But the challenges of shrinking cities seldom appeared on the agendas of politicians and urban planners until recently. This article provides a critical overview of the development paths and local strategies of four shrinking cities: Schwedt and Dresden in eastern Germany; Youngstown and Pittsburgh in the US. A typology of urban growth and shrinkage, from economic and demographic perspectives, enables four types of city to be differentiated and the differences between the US and eastern Germany to be discussed. The article suggests that a new transatlantic debate on policy and planning strategies for restructuring shrinking cities is needed to overcome the dominant growth orientation that in most cases intensifies the negative consequences of shrinkage.RésuméDe nombreuses grandes villes américaines et européennes sont confrontées à des trajectoires démographiques et économiques conduisant à un ‘rétrécissement’ urbain. Selon des données officielles, 13% des régions métropolitaines aux États‐Unis et 54% dans l'UE ont vu leur population diminuer sur la période récente. Toutefois, l'ampleur et la répartition spatiale de ce déclin divergent nettement entre les deux zones géographiques. En Allemagne, la situation tient à la chute des taux de natalité et aux conséquences de la réunification. Aux États‐Unis, le ‘rétrécissement’ est surtout liéà une mutation industrielle sur le long terme. Or, les problèmes des villes en décroissance ont rarement figuré dans les programmes des hommes politiques ou des urbanistes, du moins jusqu’à ces dernières années. Cet article donne un aperçu critique des voies de développement et des stratégies locales de quatre villes en décroissance: Schwedt et Dresde dans l'est de l'Allemagne, Youngstown et Pittsburgh aux États‐Unis. Une typologie de la croissance et du ‘rétrécissement’ urbains, du point de vue économique et démographique, permet de distinguer quatre types de ville et d'analyser les différences entre les États‐Unis et l'Allemagne orientale. Un nouveau débat transatlantique sur les stratégies en matière de politiques publiques et d'aménagement concernant la restructuration des villes en décroissance semble nécessaire pour dominer l'orientation prépondérante en faveur de la croissance qui, le plus souvent, accentue les effets négatifs du ‘rétrécissement’.

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International Journal of Urban and Regional Research

Tập 36 Số 2

261-280

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