Shrinking Cities Economic Geography

Dr. Gordon WinderSummer Term 2008Georgina Gilchrist

Overview Introduction Reasons for urban decline Case Study: Detroit Case Study: Manchester Summary

Introduction Today, every 6th city in the world can be described as a

shrinking city.

Phenomenon where cities, parts of cities or metropolitan areas are experiencing a dramatic decline in their economic and social bases.

Characterised by a loss of employment opportunities leading to the migration of population.

Embedded in the context of globalisation.

Reasons for urban decline

Long term industrial transformation Rapid economic breakdowns Environmental threats Political transformation

Case Study: Detroit ‘The great American contradiction.’ Mitch Kope (2004)

‘Would the last one to leave the city, please turn off the light.’

1920s Today

Historical background 1 Start of Industrial formation (Civil War to

WWII) 1899 first car industry established Taylorism introduced

‘Motor City’ - Detroit’s Industrial boom between the World Wars. Emergence of a regional and industrial centre.

Mass immigration of black workers

Historical Background 2 1950s start of deindustrialisation.

Decentralisation and relocation of Industry 1970s Oil crisis and industry decline hit the city hard

• Start of ‘white flight’ • Growth of suburbs; driven by car ownership and racial hatred.

• Decline of the inner city.

•Became the epitome of sprawl and of racial segregation.

Cityscape Between 1923 and 1928 all the city’s skyscrapers

were built. 1930s ‘New Deal’ – motorways and private housing

built 1950s – New through-roads were built. Tram lines

were torn up. Today there is hardly any public transport.

Between 1978 and 1998, 108 000 buildings were demolished.

Devil’s night, October 31st arson attacks on buildings

Cityscape Detroit today

Re-urbanisation No quick fix available. A lack of cultural commitment and financial energy. Downtown is experiencing a slow urban recovery as

a result of new corporate investment. Aimed to attract white residents back to the city –

ignores the existing black population. Calls for attention on ‘sustainability, local economy

and community’. Suburbia is taking over the inner city.

Case Study: Manchester 3rd Largest City in England ‘Capital of the Industrial Revolution’

Historical Background 1 Beginning of 19th Century Manchester transformed

itself into the cotton centre of the world. Supplied The British Empire with cotton 1894 Creation of the Manchester Ship Canal

•1914 Start of Deindustrialisation •WWI Cut off overseas markets

•Increasing competition from overseas competitors

•Continued decline until the 1980s, which marked the end of Manchester’s Industrial base.

Historical Background 2 The City was badly hit by unemployment and

deprivation. Emerging service sector was not enough to absorb all

the unemployed from the manufacturing sector. 1985 – Only 25% of the City’s workforce was

employed. Restructuring of the City; slum clearance programmes

Regeneration Successful regeneration based on;

Grass-Roots initiative Youth Culture Rediscovery of the Warehouse Municipal Entrepreneurialism

Re-invention through branding, self-promotion and re-building.

‘The fastest-growing shrinking city in the UK’

Phil Misselwitz

Summary Shrinking cities are a global phenomenon. Many different reasons for urban decline, although

the common denominator is globalisation. Characteristics of shrinkage: urban sprawl, vacant

properties, poverty blighted areas, high levels of crime.

Cities are becoming larger in area and less dense. Evidence that cities develop unanimously; it is less

the layout that shapes a city, but rather the cultural developments, forms of communication and establishment of social networks and processes.

Resources http://www.goethe.de/kue/arc/dos/dos/sls/wus/en1359138.htm

www.shrinkingcities.com

http://www-iurd.ced.berkeley.edu/scg/index.htm

Mason, Colin. M. (1980) Industrial decline in Greater Manchester. 1965-1975: a components of change approach. Urban Studies. Vol 17. No.2 p.173-184