Eisenhüttenstadt: monitoring a shrinking German city

The German Urban Commission is currently monitoring a phenomenon not entirely new: the economic and demographic shrinking of cities. As outlined during the Pretoria Confe-rence in 2002, this process is increasingly puzzling for both urban planners and politicians, and in some regions – especially in eastern Germany – the situation is getting dramatically worse (see chapter 1). In chapter 2 and 3 of this paper we will illustrate the effects of eco-nomic and demographic shrinking, by analysing the example of the eastern German City of Eisenhüttenstadt. In chapter 4 we will outline Eisenhüttenstadt’s perspectives for the future and discuss its efforts to adapt to these new challenges. The conclusion will put forward a number of theses for further discussion