254 - Shrinking Cities (feat. Fernando Ortiz-Moya)

Cymene and Dominic talk about shrinky dinks, tiny sweaters, miniaturized submarines and elemental ethnography during this week's intro segment. Then (12:12) we welcome Fernando Ortiz-Moya to the conversation to talk about his excellent new book We're Still Here: Regenerating Shrinking Cities from the Ground Up (U California Press, 2026). Fernando explains his lifelong fascination with cities with dwindling populations and why urban shrinkage doesn't always mean decline. We move from there to talking about the hegemony of growth thinking in urbanism and why top-down planning for urban renewal so often fails to produce the effects intended. We wonder about how climate change will find new ways to shrink cities and, finally, we discuss different bottom up strategies for urban regeneration and how and why informal practices usually produce better results. Hang in there, everyone, peace and love.