Introduction from the Editors

Author: Prof. Dr. Besnik Aliaj, Dr. Sotir Dhamo
Affiliation: POLIS University

Abstract
The shrinking of living settlements in general is a concept that refers to the cities and towns that experience a sharp loss of population. Such loss could come because of depressing social, economic and political contexts in a given region or country, or because of massive (e)migration towards capital city or other and neighboring countries. As infrastructure and services in such living settlements were planned and invested to support bigger population, its own maintenance becomes a serious problem and very expensive exercise. When talking on “shrinking cities” in Europe, often are used concepts like: urban decay, or urban flight, or counter-urbanization. The origin of the phenomenon usually refers to the dense and urbanized areas that face problems of population loss within a short time. This is often defined as de-concentration or as the contrary effect of urbanization. The theory gained ground especially in the Eastern Europe countries during the “post - Berlin Wall fall” decades, especially within industrial regions and cities that went under harsh shock-therapy economic treatment, and fast privatization policies towards the newly established market economy.