Greening the shrinking city—policies and planning approaches in the USA with the example of Flint, Michigan

Abstract

For many years, shrinking cities in the USA used to be a taboo, not fitting in the pattern of growth and progress anticipated by community leaders. Nevertheless, shrinking in terms of economic decline and population loss is an enduring phenomenon for many post-industrial US cities. One negative effect of shrinkage is extended portions of vacant land with blighted and deteriorating buildings. Some US shrinking cities recently started actively dealing with vacated portions of land, seeing these areas as new assets on the way to more sustainable and livable cities. The paper will present greening or green infrastructure development from the point of view of the US planning debate, focusing on two forms of greening: rightsizing and urban agriculture. Moreover, recent greening efforts will be highlighted with the example Flint, Michigan, anchored in a debate of paradigmatic shifts and sustainable development.

Keywords:

• Shrinking cities
• green infrastructure
• urban redevelopment
• planning cultures