Exploring Urban Shrinkage and its Dependence on the Planning Culture (Case Study: District 8 of Tabriz Metropolis)

Urban structures have always been undergoing constant transformations. They are affected by external impacts as well as internal factors, experiencing population growth and shrinkage in the city. Planning for shrinking cities does not work under the preconditions of urban growth, but requires a shift to a somewhat different paradigm. The challenge of shrinking cities has the potential to trigger change in planning cultures. Urban shrinkage has been conceptualized as an empirical phenomenon resulting from the interplay of changing drivers of shrinkage at different spatial levels that produce a decline in population at the local scale and may be related to the economic decline and demographic changes. This study aimed to investigate and identify the effective factors on urban shrinkage in District 8 of Tabriz metropolis and also argues for the impacts and consequences of this phenomenon on planning which led to the inability of the region to absorb and preserve population. In order to achieve the goal of this research, a sequential exploratory mixed method was used. The analysis showed that the phenomenon of urban shrinkage is caused by factors considered in the context of spatial structure planning. In the studied area, identified factors and driving forces in physical, social, economic, environmental pollution and urban landscape have the most impact on this phenomenon.