Project Description

Smart Shrinkage Solutions – Fostering Resilient Cities in Inner Peripheries of Europe is a project aimed at harnessing the innovative policy potential of Applied Sciences, Interdisciplinary Sciences, and Social Sciences, working together with urban practitioners and policy-makers to identify a) what works in a shrinking city context, and b) how the underlying forces of urban shrinkage can be reversed in order to convert these cities into sustainable, liveable, and economically resilient urban environments. Building on the state-of-the-art theorisation of the phenomenon, and applying a pioneering Future Performance Framework in combination with the Urban Futures methodology, this project aims at i) tackling the key socio-economic causes of urban shrinkage, ii) future-proofing sustainability actions in urban re-development and regeneration, and iii) enhancing the role of long-term strategic planning. With the explicit intention to ensure the relevance of today’s actions in the future, this project will embolden civic leaders, national, and international stakeholders to embrace the best smart shrinkage practices and apply the most forward-looking urban resilience solutions. Shaping the inner peripheries of urban Europe to greater resilience, the project will ultimately enable shrinking cities to adapt, to transform, and to thrive in the face of continuously and often dramatically changing circumstances.

Research Team

• Sílvia Sousa
• Alberto Rodriguez Barcón
• Paulo Pinho

Financial Support

• European Commission under the Horizon 2020 ERA-NET Cofund Smart Urban Futures scheme

Stage of Progress

• Concluded in 2020