<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p> The demographic characteristics of "shrinking" processes in large Slovak cities, as well as the awareness of such shrinkage processes in local development planning, is the subject of this article. Population loss, together with other demographic indicators, clearly documents such a trajectory in urban development. In spite of this reality, there is only limited reflection of the "shrinking" in planning documents of cities approved by town councils. Some reasons for this decreased sensitivity to the complex problem of shrinking cities include missing relevant information (e.g. demographic prognoses), the milder forms of "shrinking" in Slovakia, the absence of political acceptance of the process by local elites, and the dominant-growth oriented planning practices.</p></abstract>

The demographic characteristics of "shrinking" processes in large Slovak cities, as well as the awareness of such shrinkage processes in local development planning, is the subject of this article. Population loss, together with other demographic indicators, clearly documents such a trajectory in urban development. In spite of this reality, there is only limited reflection of the "shrinking" in planning documents of cities approved by town councils. Some reasons for this decreased sensitivity to the complex problem of shrinking cities include missing relevant information (e.g. demographic prognoses), the milder forms of "shrinking" in Slovakia, the absence of political acceptance of the process by local elites, and the dominant-growth oriented planning practices.

Urban Shrinkage as a Challenge to Local Development Planning in Slovakia

Department of Human Geography and Demography, Faculty of Natural Sciences Comenius University, 84 215 Bratislava, Slovakia

Moravian Geographical Reports

{"article-title":"Urban Shrinkage as a Challenge to Local Development Planning in Slovakia"}

The demographic characteristics of "shrinking" processes in large Slovak cities, as well as the awareness of such shrinkage processes in local development...

Urban Shrinkage as a Challenge to Local Development Planning in Slovakia

Published Online: Jul 30, 2013

Page range: 2 - 15

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/mgr-2013-0001

This content is open access.