Growing shrinking cities

Abstract

Shrinking cities have been touted as an opportunity to rethink unsustainable growth-centric policies, but to what extent have they abdicated from the pro-growth urban agenda? We explore one of the most overtly growth-oriented ‘solutions’ to urban shrinkage: housing construction. Our nationwide analysis of Spanish cities illustrates the widespread emergence of shrinking cities following the Great Recession and the disconnect between population and housing dynamics. Our findings highlight the continued demographic decline of Spanish shrinking cities despite considerable spatial growth. This depiction of growing shrinking cities expands conceptualizations of urban shrinkage and advances discussions regarding the growth imperative in planning cultures.