Transitioning to Post-Growth Cities

Cities around the world depend on growth, but such growth hasbecome, to use Herman Daly’s term, uneconomic—the costs of growth, within andbeyond the cities’ boundaries, far exceed the benefits. Post-growth cities are citiesthat thrive without growth, serving equitably the needs of their population withoutexceeding their share of planetary boundaries. What does an urban post-growthvision look like and what policies would it entail? Here, we present seven policy-oriented guidelines for cities that want to commit to a post-growth transition. Weargue that cities should limit the financialization of their assets, socialize basic infra-structures and spaces, redistribute income, and guarantee access to services,decoupling human well-being from growth in this way and breaking the depen-dence of cities and city administrations upon growth.