Authors’ Comment
The "Shrinking Cities in Romania” project discusses the shrinkage of Romanian cities, as a widespread phenomenon. Statistical data show that most Romanian cities, of different sizes and types (small touristic towns, industrial, agricultural towns, harbors by the Danube) are facing various forms of decline: socio-cultural, economic, physical, demographic. Half of the country’s cities currently have 20% fewer residents than in the 1990s. This phenomenon is insufficiently discussed, although more than a decade has passed since it was first theorized by German researchers.
Gathering a large group of academics, researchers, artists, architects, urban planners and hosting several recurring events, Shrinking Cities in Romania is a pioneering initiative to raise awareness about an acute and pervasive, yet too little discussed matter, which is presented in an attractive and interactive formulation, aiming to create a positive perspective on a negative phenomenon.
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