The Shrinking Cities Institute was launched in fall 2005 by the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (CUDC) and Cleveland State University's Levin College to examine the issues raised by urban shrinkage and put Northeast Ohio’s challenges in a larger context.

Changes in the global marketplace have altered regional economies and urban sprawl has left behind vast vacancies and distressed neighborhoods in core cities. It may well be time to envision a future for some Ohio cities that is smaller and smarter, rather than bigger and better. The CUDC has embarked on an ongoing practice-based program of research and public engagement.

Links
CUDC Mahoning Valley design workshop
"As it's population declines, Youngstown thinks small," May 3, 2007 Wall Street Journal
USA Today article "As Older Cities Shrink, Some Reinvent Themselves" includes Cleveland.

Updates
German-based Shriking Cities Institute will bring its acclaimed exhibit on shrinking cities to Cleveland in April, 2007.