2018 Conference

Individual Paper Presentation

Shrinking Cities: Sustainability Challenges and Best Practices in the Arctic

            Not novel a novel phenomenon in sustainability, shrinking cities are defined by significant population loss and increasing degree of abandoned buildings and other structures. This phenomenon is often an unplanned but challenging reality for many cities, giving rise to socio-economic, infrastructure, and land use issues. Classical sustainability speaks to planning for growth. In other words, growth is assumed and is considered a vital part of sustainability. However, the concept of shrinking cities highlights planning not for growth, but rather for decline. Cities across the United States, European Union, and Australia have undergone this phenomenon. Arctic cities, especially those in Russia and the United States, have largely been ignored in this context. This paper uses previous research on shrinking cities to identify and examine challenges along with ways forward for shrinking cities, placing shrinking Arctic cities in the context of broader trends. This study also seeks to identify best practices across shrinking cities that may be applicable in the Arctic. Arctic issues are increasingly becoming global issues. Even though many environmental differences exist between Arctic cities and other shrinking cities, significant parallels can be drawn.

Key words: Shrinking Cities, Arctic, Best Practices, City Planning, Decline