Change of Thought: Findings on Planning for Shrinkage from a Regional Design Competition

Abstract

Shrinkage or ‘no growth’ is expected to condition the long-term perspective of many Western cities and regions. Planning for shrinkage differs substantively from planning for growth and therefore calls for a change of thought in spatial planning. In our paper, we analyse how planning professionals responded to a ‘planning for shrinkage’ challenge in a regional design competition. We found that they fully adapted to the shrinking perspective, took a strategic approach, and promoted a leading role for local inhabitants. Collaboration with local inhabitants and entrepreneurs, creating new alliances, and timing emerge as key themes for planning professionals in planning for shrinkage.

Keywords:

• shrinkage
• strategic spatial planning
• regional design
• design competition
• process design

Acknowledgements

This article was written as part of the AESUS project (Analysing and Exploring Sustainable Urban Strategies), a project in the Urban Regions in the Delta research programme of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). The authors also thank the Eo Wijers Foundation for the use of the results of the ninth Eo Wijers Regional Design Competition held in 2011–2012.

Notes

1. ‘Samen Pionieren’ was created by Marc Holvoet, Ed Ravensbergen, Paul van Bree, Jelmer van der Meulen and Janneke Zuidhof from Atelierbruut (www.atelierbruut.nl).

2. ‘Wat weet een boer van saffraan’ was created by Richard Colombijn, Claire Oude Aarninkhof and Renzo Veenstra from RRog stedebouw en landschap (www.rrog.nl), and Arjan Boekel from energielandschappen (www.energielandschappen.nl).