Urban degrowth economics: making cities better places for living, working, and playing

Abstract

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to find ways to operationalise degrowth in an urban context by connecting to urban economics. Based on eleven textbooks, we identify five main themes analysed in urban economics: (1) urban growth and city size; (2) urban land rent and land-use patterns; (3) industrial location, agglomeration and clustering; (4) housing and housing policy; and (5) transport. We address these from the normative perspective of degrowth, simultaneously highlighting the existing economic policies and instruments that could be used for degrowth operationalisation. In essence, urban economics focuses on the efficient use of scarce resources to make cities better “places for living, working and playing”. We propose taking what is relevant from economics, ensuring the transition to the desired future, instead of radically changing everything from scratch. Our premise is that applying many of the already proposed policies and mechanisms may facilitate the transition towards degrowth and contribute to creating a comprehensive urban degrowth narrative.