This document summarizes an international perspective on re-urbanization presented by Prof. Dr. Guido Spars. It discusses two perspectives on urbanization globally - rapid growth of megacities in the developing world, and re-urbanization occurring in European and Atlantic cities. It identifies three types of re-urbanization and provides population growth data from Swiss, German, and other European cities to illustrate each type. Economic drivers behind re-urbanization are identified as the rise of knowledge-based economies and a need for urban living. Qualitative aspects like proximity, urban atmosphere, and amenities are noted. Target groups for re-urbanization are identified as young professionals, families, immigrants and others seeking an urban lifestyle.

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Back to the City –
An international
Perspective
Prof. Dr. Guido Spars
Utrecht, May 14th 2014
Woningbouw Dag 2014:

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Agenda:
• Urban Age: two perspectives
• 3 types of Re-Urbanization
• European examples
• Economic drivers
• Quality aspects
• Outlook

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Urban Age:
Two international perspectives
1. Urbanization in the south of the world,
Migration and Megacities
2. Re-Urbanization in cities of the European
and Atlantic regions

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1. World population: intense increase in cities
• 1975: 179 Megacities , 2005: over 400 Megacities!
• In 2005 about 21 metropolitan areas with more than 10 Mio. people
(in 1975 only 3)
• Most of them in
Africa & Asia
Population in Cities
Population in rural
areas
UN Population
Division, DBR 2008
Population in billions

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2. Re-Urbanization in European cities:
3 Types of Re-Urbanisation
Based on: Herfert,
Osterhage 2012
+
-

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2. Re-Urbanization in 24 Swiss cities:
Population growth rate in 24 city regions in Switzerland, 1980‐2008
Type 1
Rerat 2010

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2. Re-Urbanization in 18 German cities:
Population growth in German cities from 1998 to 2009
5 cities in the north-west 7 cities in the east 6 cities in the south
Inner city, core
Edge of inner city
Suburbs
total
BBSR 2011
Type 1 Type1Type 2 +3

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2. Re-Urbanization in European cities:
• empirical survey of 15 German cities:
• development like a ´cascade‘:
• immigrants (also from other cities in Germany)
moved to the inner cities (gateway-function)
• immigrants are young people from 18-30 years
• this group has risen about 48% in the inner cities
from 2002-2008 (rejuvenation)
• long-time residents moved to the outer districts
• the outer districts lost population to the suburbs
Jessen et al. 2012,
BBSR: IRB-Cities 2012

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2. Re-Urbanization in Leipzig, Bologna, León, Ljubljana:
Drivers of Re-Urba-
nization as a share
of total population
in case study areas
(households who
moved into the case
study areas within
the last 5 years)

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Economic drivers of the Re-Urbanization
• economic structural change: rising of the knowledge-
intensive economy
• importance of tacit knowledge (face-to-face)
• erosion of normal working and living conditions
• more and more globalised and flexibilized society
• but: need of „homebase“, need of relocalization of
people and functions (glocalisation!)
• need of complex spaces of options and spill over effects
(social infrastructures, services, communication,
information)
Cities become more important

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Qualitative aspects of Re-Urbanization
• Re-Urbanization means also a qualitative change
• proximity of working and living
• urban milieu: atmosphere, inspiration, non-routine
production and consumption
• big city development projects (housing, event culture,
retail, public spaces, gastronomy)
• development of inner city mixed-use quarter
• quality of public space, multifarious culture + leisure
time facilities, short ways, public transport etc.
Soft factors become more important

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Target groups of Re-Urbanization: Reurbanites
• young urban professionals, creative class
• education oriented people
• best ager / silver ager (active livestyle with options and
short ways)
• city oriented families
• immigrants from all demographic groups

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Stability of the Re-Urbanization trend?
• the economic processes behind the Re-Urbanization are
ongoing
• also immigration will be a ongoing phenomenon
• certainly the trend of Suburbanisation is still going on
• it will not be possible to satisfy all people who want to
live in the city!
• Scarcity of land and space
• High prices, gentrification
good planning /governance: managing the parallel
and complementary process of urban sprawl and
Re-Urbanization

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Vielen Dank für Ihre
Aufmerksamkeit!
spars@uni-wuppertal.de
Thank you for your attention!
spars@uni-wuppertal.de