Architectural Institute of Japan

This paper explores the challenges and opportunities of VLRs for better recovery in the context of the disruption to urban planning and policymaking caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. It does so by focusing on 12 cities that conducted a VLR between 2019 and 2020 as case studies. These include: Barcelona, Bonn, Bristol, Buenos Aires, Espoo, Ghent, La...

Urban shrinkage contradicts the normative assumption of cities as growth machines. Shrinking cities are stigmatised as wretched places, prone to high unemployment rates, low quality of life standards, and urban blight. Compelled by this dominant narrative of loss, planning responses have focused on reversing declining trajectories and returning...

By reflecting on the case of Imabetsu, this paper explores alternative mechanisms to cope with shrinkage while striving for transitioning to more sustainable development pathways. It argues that rather than fighting against decline, the town should embrace its smaller size while looking within to find alternative ways to sustain the local community...