Managed urban shrinkage in Russia: Logic, opportunities, and implementation

In this study, I deal with the phenomenon of shrinking cities using data on the Volgograd Region of Russia. The emergence of shrinking cities is described regarding main contributing factors. International experience on urban depopulation shows several directions for implementing a policy of controlled compression. However, literature suggests no single strategy to tackle the problem of shrinking cities due to its complexity. The paper proposes a flowchart for managing the process of shrinking cities, which includes the following steps: analysis and diagnostics of the current state of affairs; identifying priorities for development and management; implementing a set of measures to control compression; rethinking; policy adjustment. The process of managing the compression of urban space is inherently cyclical. This fact implies that, as a result of each cycle, regional management achieves one or more key performance indicators. Performance indicators are both quantitative (the number of residents, the number of business structures, the level of salaries, recreational facilities, etc.) and qualitative ones (the quality of urban environment, the quality of life in cities, the level of happiness, etc.). Managing the process of urban shrinkage implies high attention not only to local socio-economic, geographical and resource factors, but also to the cultural, historical, political and institutional environment.