We're Still Here - by Fernando Ortiz-Moya

Book Synopsis

In a world that expects cities to fuel economic growth and attract millions of people every year, there's something unnerving about the phrase "shrinking cities." But thousands of cities are getting smaller, leaving vacant homes, abandoned factories, and oversized infrastructure. Shrinking cities pose a new problem for urban planners: how to manage the transition to fewer residents with a tool kit designed for expansion.

Urbanist Fernando Ortiz-Moya argues that instead of chasing regrowth, cities can embrace their smaller size and build on their unique character and history to enhance life for those who remain. We're Still Here contrasts official responses to shrinkage with spontaneous bottom-up actions led by traditionally marginalized residents in the cities of Pittsburgh, Manchester, and Kitakyushu. These stories show how decline becomes a springboard for social and physical (re)construction and justice-driven urbanism--revealing both the limits of pro-growth planning and the seeds of a new approach that he calls "(Re)City-Making." Far from a cautionary tale, this book makes a convincing case for the shrinking city as a laboratory for innovative, people-centered urban policy and collective empowerment.

From the Back Cover

"Through detailed studies of three shrinking cities, Fernando Ortiz-Moya skillfully questions the common but flawed wisdom that growth is inherently good and shrinkage is inherently a problem, revealing the potential net positives when it comes to citizen initiatives and quality of life. This book's in-depth analysis and elegant yet accessible writing will appeal to anyone with an interest in the well-being of cities."--Sonia Hirt, Dean and Hughes Professor in Landscape Architecture and Planning, University of Georgia

"We're Still Here is a convincing, well-informed work of comparative scholarship that draws on diverse perspectives, contributing new insights to both the contemporary debate over urban shrinkage and the discipline of urban studies more generally. A good read for researchers, students, and policymakers alike."--Marco Bontje, Assistant Professor of Urban Geography, University of Amsterdam

About the Author

Fernando Ortiz-Moya is Chief Policy Researcher with the Integrated Sustainability Centre at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Japan.