Cities Regrowing Smaller (CIRES)

1. MC of COST Action TU0803 – April 2009
Cities Regrowing Smaller (CIRES)
Fostering Knowledge on Regeneration Strategies in
Shrinking Cities across Europe
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wiechmann Cities Regrowing Smaller
21.04.2009
Page 1

Content
1 Background: Urban Shrinkage in Europe
2 Objectives and Benefits of CIRES
3 Scientific Programme of CIRES
4 Organisation of CIRES
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wiechmann Cities Regrowing Smaller
21.04.2009
Page 2

1 Background: Urban Shrinkage in Europe
Shrinking Cities in Europe
A ‘shrinking city’ is defined as …
…
…
…
…
a densely populated urban area with a minimum population of
10,000 residents
that has faced a population loss in large parts of it
for more than 2 years and
is undergoing economic transformations with some symptoms of
a structural crisis.
According to different studies every 6th to 4th large city
worldwide has lost population in the 1990ies
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wiechmann Cities Regrowing Smaller
21.04.2009
Page 3

1 Background: Urban Shrinkage in Europe
Shrinking Cities in Europe
Source:
3. Cohesion
Report
EU 2004
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wiechmann Cities Regrowing Smaller
21.04.2009
Page 4

1 Background: Urban Shrinkage in Europe
EU Urban Audit: Population Development in 220 selected
European large and medium-sized Cities
Shrinkage 1996 – 2001
• Urban Regions
(n = 120): 56%
• Cities
(n = 220): 57%
Source: www.urbanaudit.org
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wiechmann Cities Regrowing Smaller
21.04.2009
Page 5

1 Background: Urban Shrinkage in Europe
Common causes of shrinkage include:
• suburbanization („hollowing out”, flight of people and jobs)
• economic restructuring (shift away from industrial-based economy)
• demographics and immigrant settlement patterns (low fertility rates;
tendency of immigrants to settle in larger, growing cities)
In the literature urban shrinkage has mainly been studied …
…
…
…
in terms of life cycles
as the spatial manifestations of globalisation processes and growing
inequalities in the current knowledge-based economy
as an outcome of transformation processes in Eastern Europe
Research that has been conducted lacks a comparative perspective on the
factors and impacts of shrinkage at the European scale and on the policies
and strategies that were implemented.
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wiechmann Cities Regrowing Smaller
21.04.2009
Page 6

2 Objectives and Benefits of CIRES
The main objective of the Action is to foster the interdisciplinary
knowledge of Regeneration Strategies in Shrinking Cities across
Europe.
At a strategic level, the network will:
- provide a forum for the discussion of successful regeneration strategies in
shrinking cities, establishing a frame of common action facing the multiple
challenges around shrinking cities,
- improve the knowledge basis for targeted policy actions by the EU or its
Member States,
- lay foundations for future corresponding EU research initiatives,
- foster the questioning of traditional paradigms of urban development in
view of the demographic and economic challenges in European cities.
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wiechmann Cities Regrowing Smaller
21.04.2009
Page 7

2 Objectives and Benefits of CIRES
The main objective of the Action is to foster the interdisciplinary
knowledge of Regeneration Strategies in Shrinking Cities across
Europe.
At an operational level, the network will:
- devise a conceptual framework (incl. a common terminology) to describe
and analyze issues of shrinking cities,
- survey and review the existing studies on regeneration strategies in
shrinking cities in Europe and elsewhere,
- assess the level and nature of selected approaches to regenerate shrinking
cities,
- provide on-site advice to end-users of the completed research in selected
shrinking cities,
- offer a 'best practice' database on regeneration strategies,
- provide access for young researchers to a highly innovative debate.
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wiechmann Cities Regrowing Smaller
21.04.2009
Page 8

3 Scientific Programme of CIRES
How will the objectives be achieved?
a.) A collective conceptual framework will be developed, including a synopsis
of published research on shrinking cities and a common terminology across
countries and disciplines.
b.) Two European conferences on good practice on regeneration strategies in
shrinking cities in the third and fourth year of the Action will provide an
opportunity for the wider audience to participate in the Action.
c) Workshop meetings in reference cities will allow the interchange of tacit
knowledge between the network members and practitioners. By this means the
Action’s proposals and recommendations can be discussed with local actors in
selected shrinking cities. Thus the Action will invite local stakeholders to
participate in the workshops.
d.) The Action will facilitate the sharing of European best practice on
regeneration strategies in shrinking cities by offering a database with profiles
of selected examples from all COST countries involved.
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wiechmann Cities Regrowing Smaller
21.04.2009
Page 9

3 Scientific Programme of CIRES
How will the objectives be achieved?
e.) The Action will produce recommendations on policy implications at
different levels which will be distributed as widely as possible to relevant policymakers.
f.) Publication of the research findings, by means of one edited book on
regeneration strategies in shrinking cities, six journal papers focusing on
different cases of shrinkage across Europe, and one monograph on policies
needed for shrinking cities as well as conference and workshop proceedings.
g.) Designing and maintaining of a web site, that allows the interchange of
knowledge between the network members and a wider public, through intranet
and public website pages.
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wiechmann Cities Regrowing Smaller
21.04.2009
Page 10

3 Scientific Programme of CIRES
4 Main Tasks:
• Synopsis Engaged of Scholarship Published Diamond Research Model on Shrinking (Van de Cities Ven 2007)
Review of a comprehensive sample of academic journal articles in different
languages with a special emphasis on regeneration strategies.
• Theory-Practice Interface on Regeneration Strategies
Series of four workshop meetings in reference cities to gain a deeper
understanding of causes, processes, and policy implications in the different
types of shrinking cities (former mining city, old industrialised city, satellite
city, comparably wealthy city with a declining and fast ageing population).
• Theory Building and Interdisciplinary Communication
Alternative theories and methods to deal with the issue of shrinking cities
will be developed. The most important part of the conceptual framework is a
common terminology across countries and disciplines.
• Problem Solving Strategies and Best Practice Database
This task focuses on linking the research findings back to the problem as
defined in the Theory-Practice Interface.
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wiechmann Cities Regrowing Smaller
21.04.2009
Page 11

3 Scientific Programme of CIRES
Typology of Shrinking Cities (Source: Wu et al. 2008)
Type Characteristics Underlying Causes Selected
Contemporary
Examples
Policy Implications
(examples)
Shrinkage is
imposed
Conflicts/war
Political or
economic reforms
Depletion of
resources
Political and military conflicts
Spatial/Administrative
Reforms —national govt.
Uneconomic exploitation of
natural resources
Beirut, Lebanon; Phnom
Penh
Chinese county towns &
villages
Nauru & other mining
cities—including resource
towns
former mining city
Conflict resolution
Modification of
administrative
reforms
New technology;
Efficient methods of
resource extraction
Shrinkage due
to comparative
disadvantages
Lack of economic
opportunities/
diversity
Lifestyle
attractions
Climatic conditions
Infrastructure
provisions
Core/periphery drift
Globalization
De-industrialization
Re-industrialization
(rise of Regional inequalities;
Knowledge economy)
Climatic differences
Metropolitan lifestyle
Poland relative to EU
S. Korea -- regions
outside of Seoul Metro
region
France (non metro Paris)
Scotland
NE China old industrial
centers
Rust belt (USA)
old industrialised city
satellite city
Reinforce regional
resilience
Ensure
embeddedness of
economic activities
Regional
decentralization
policies
Shrinkage due
to societal /
global changes
Absolute decline of
population
Ageing population
Climate change
Low birth rate (fertility
decline)
Low population replacement
rate
Population structure
“Demographic onus”
Global climate changes
Dresden, Germany
Kyoto, Japan
Australian outback towns
wealthy city with fast ageing population
Population policy
Urban
amenities/infrastructu
res investments
Global climate
policies/programs
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wiechmann Cities Regrowing Smaller
21.04.2009
Page 12

4 Organisation of CIRES
List of experts who have been involved in the Action proposal
France Prof. Dr. Sylvie Fol Université Paris 1 Panthéon - Sorbonne
State: 17.04.2009
France
Germany
A/Prof. Dr. Emmanuèle
Cunningham-Sabot
Prof. Dr. Thorsten
Wiechmann
Université Rennes 2 - Haute Bretagne
Technische Universität Dresden
Italy Dr. Roberta Benini University of Bologna-Ravenna Centre
Poland
Prof. Dr. Tadeusz
Stryjakiewicz
Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań
Portugal Prof. Dr. Paulo Pinho University of Oporto, CITTA - Research Centre for Territory,
Transports and Environment
Slovakia A/Prof. Dr. Jan Bucek Comenius University, Bratislava
Slovenia Dr. Mojca Sasek Divjak Urban planning Institute, Ljubljana
Spain Dr. Simon Sanchez Moral Institute of Economics, Geography and Demography, Spanish
National Research Council (CSIC)
UK Dr. Helen Mulligan Cambridge Architectural Research Ltd
Australia
A/Prof. Cristina Martinez-
Fernandez
University of Western Sydney, Urban Research Centre
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wiechmann Cities Regrowing Smaller
21.04.2009
Page 13

4 Organisation of CIRES
State: 17.04.2009
Countries: 14 + 1
DE, BE, CH, DK, ES,
FR, IT, MA, NE, PL,
PT, SI, SK, UK, AU
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wiechmann Cities Regrowing Smaller
21.04.2009
Page 14

4 Organisation of CIRES
Organisation of the COST Action
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wiechmann Cities Regrowing Smaller
21.04.2009
Page 15

4 Organisation of CIRES
Working Group Tasks
WG 1 will provide a Synopsis Report based on an extensive review of published
work on Shrinking Cities (summary report 'Synopsis of Published Research on
Shrinking Cities' in phase 2; revision in phase 5). It will also act as organising
committee for the European conference on Regeneration Strategies in
Shrinking Cities as well as for the Final conference of COST Action ‘Cities
Regrowing Smaller’. This includes the responsibility for the editing of the
Synthesis Report with the findings of the workshops and conferences.
The Theory-Practice Interface will be prepared and organised by WG 2. In
phase 1 this WG will compile a tentative list of potential reference cities (as
basis for selection process in the MC). In the following phases WG 2 focuses on
the preparation and organisation of the series of workshop meetings in four
reference cities with the involvement of academics and practitioners. Hence,
WG 2 also acts as organising committee for the four workshops in reference
cities. This includes the support and monitoring of four Short Term Scientific
Missions to prepare these workshop meetings.
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wiechmann Cities Regrowing Smaller
21.04.2009
Page 16

4 Organisation of CIRES
Working Group Tasks
WG 3 will set up the conceptual framework for the whole Action and thus
provide a theoretical-methodological basis for the whole Action. To this end the
WG will produce a Summary Report on the 'Conceptual Framework' at the
outset of phase 3. This will include a common terminology (Glossary on
Regeneration Strategies in Shrinking Cities across Europe). In the final phase
WG 3 will revise the 'Conceptual Framework' and edit the final reporting of the
Action as well as the book publication.
WG 4 will focus on assembling instructive cases of regeneration strategies. It
will be in charge to produce the Best Practice Database, the corresponding
Report and a map of shrinking cities in Europe. Following up the European
conference on Regeneration Strategies in Shrinking Cities this WG will also
carry out the comparative analysis of different regeneration strategies in phase
4 and the editing of the monograph on policy implications in phase 5.
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wiechmann Cities Regrowing Smaller
21.04.2009
Page 17

4 Organisation of CIRES
Working Group constitution
• a maximum of 2 members per COST country are reimbursable
(if budget is sufficient)
• WG members do not have to be MC members
(basically every scholar from the participating countries can be invited)
• to reduce on the one hand the expenditure of time and on the other hand
travel and accommodation costs the Action will combine workshops with
meetings of all 4 WG with MC meetings (thus nobody is excluded from a
certain WG)
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wiechmann Cities Regrowing Smaller
21.04.2009
Page 18

4 Organisation of CIRES
Working Group constitution: proposal for discussion
MC WG 1 WG 2 WG 3 WG 4
Cristina Martinez-Fernandez AU p [X] X
Jean-Marie Halleux BE X X
Maresa Schumacher CH X X
Karina Pallagst DE [X] X
Thorsten Wiechmann DE X X
Philipp Oswalt DE X X
Lea Louise Holst Laursen DK Xp Xp
Simón Sánchez ES X X
Manuel Fernandez-Esquinas ES X X
Ricardo Mendez Gutierrez ES sub X X
Jose Prada Trigo ES sub X X
Sylvie Fol FR X X
Emmanuèle Cunningham-Sabot FR [X] X
Hélène Roth FR X X
Roberta Benini IT X X
Vincent Buhagiar MT Xp
Jesmond Xuereb MT Xp
Marco Bontje NE X X
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Sako Wiechmann Musterd NE Cities Regrowing X Smaller
X
21.04.2009
Page 19

4 Organisation of CIRES
Time table of the COST Action TU0803
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wiechmann Cities Regrowing Smaller
21.04.2009
Page 20

4 Organisation of CIRES
Time table of the COST Action TU0803
What? Who? Where? When? How long?
Kick-off meeting MC member Brussels 20./21. April 2009 1 day
MC / WG meeting all WG’s, plus MC Paris 1. / 2. Sep. 2009 1 ½ days
1. Workshop Meeting all WG’s, plus MC Reference City A 18./22. Nov 2009 2 ½ days
Core Group meeting Chair, Vice-Chair, WG leader ? March 2010 1 day
2. Workshop Meeting all WG’s, plus MC Reference City B 19./21.May 2010 2 ½ days
3. Workshop Meeting all WG’s, plus MC Reference City C January 2011 2 ½ days
Core Group meeting Chair, Vice-Chair, WG leader ? July 2011 1 day
4. Workshop Meeting all WG’s, plus MC Reference City D October 2011 2 ½ days
European conference all partners (incl. MC) ? March 2012 2 days
Core Group meeting Chair, Vice-Chair, WG leader ? July 2012 1 day
Final conference all partners (incl. MC) Brussels? October 2012 1 day
MC / WG meeting all WG’s, plus MC ? November 2012 1 ½ days
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wiechmann Cities Regrowing Smaller
21.04.2009
Page 21

4 Organisation of CIRES
Deliverables
- State of the art report on Regeneration Strategies in Shrinking Cities (will
provide an overview of the current state of the art in theory and practice).
- Map of shrinking cities in Europe
- Six scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals (from cooperation between
members) focusing on different types and cases of shrinkage across Europe
- Regularly updated Action Website.
- Proceedings of major conferences.
- Monograph on policy implications, including recommendations for policy
makers on different levels.
- European Conference on Regeneration Strategies of Shrinking Cities and
a final Conference at the end of the COST Action
- Synthesis Report with the findings of the workshops and conferences.
- Handbook on Regeneration Strategies in Shrinking Cities.
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wiechmann Cities Regrowing Smaller
21.04.2009
Page 22

1. MC of COST Action TU0803 – April 2009
Cities Regrowing Smaller (CIRES)
Fostering Knowledge on Regeneration Strategies in
Shrinking Cities across Europe
Prof. Dr. Thorsten Wiechmann Cities Regrowing Smaller
21.04.2009
Page 23