Economic Crisis and the Shrinking Greek Cities

Abstract

Urban shrinkage is a multidimensional phenomenon encompassing regions, cities, and parts of cities or metropolitan areas that are experiencing a dramatic decline in their economic, demographical and social bases. The causes of this urban decline are many and complex: suburbanization, economic shifts from traditional industrial-based economies to post-industrial new urban economies; economic restructuring from state economies to market economies; economic crisis due to forces of globalization. Under the conditions of the current economic crisis in Eurozone, and especially in Greece, there are strong indicators that Greek cities have started becoming another group of shrinking cities. This presentation investigates (a) the driving forces of urban shrinkage in Greece, and (b) strategies of urban regeneration that may be developed and applied in shrinking Greek cities. The case studies are Larissa and Volos, medium-sized cities located in central Greece.