Planning for a Shrinking, Aging Urban Future

You are cordially invited to attend the Seminar organized by the Department of Social Sciences and Policy Studies (SSPS). Details are as follows:-

Title	Planning for a Shrinking, Aging Urban Future
Date	14 April 2025 (Mon)
Time	10:30 - 12:00
Venue	D4-LP-03 Tai Po Campus, EdUHK
Registration	https://eduhk.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5pAXClr0WALuSaO
Abstract	The world is changing. We are entering a new era of urbanization. One defined by shrinking, aging cities. Shrinking cities have emerged as a lasting global phenomenon. Economic restructuring, demographic change, armed conflict, and climate migration all continue to reshape global, regional, and local population dynamics. Demographic aging is simultaneously changing population structures at every geographic scale. Over time, the distinct and overlapping trends of shrinking and aging begin to reinforce one another, resulting in accelerated population loss. In advanced economies, shrinkage is often felt most acutely at the local level where planners and decisionmakers must reimagine and reshape cities for a smaller population often with less financial and human resources. How will demographic aging reconfigure urban population dynamics across the globe? And what does that mean for the future of shrinking cities and the health and wellbeing of their residents? What are the implications for planning practice and policy? I draw upon research from my Population and Place Research Lab and the broader literature to consider the contextual planning implications of population loss and aging, opportunities for international collaboration and knowledge exchange, and the distinct spatial challenges of planning the age-friendly and shrinking city.
Speaker	Dr Maxwell HARTT Director of the Population and Place Research Lab/ Associate Professor, Department of Geography and Planning Queen’s University  Maxwell HARTT, Ph.D. is the Director of the Population and Place Research Lab and an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Planning at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. He was a Fulbright Scholar at Tufts University in Boston, USA and is currently a Visiting Professor at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences in Paris, France. He is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Planning Education and Research and on the editorial boards of the Journal of Global Ageing and International Planning Studies. Dr Hartt’s award winning research concentrates on planning for demographic change, with a specific focus on shrinking cities, aging, and age-friendly community planning. He has published extensively in top ranked international peer reviewed journals and has written three books, including Quietly Shrinking Cities: Canadian Urban Population Loss in an Age of Growth.

Should you have any inquiries, please contact Ms Vanna Lam at lamwl@eduhk.hk