Simone Di Pietro

• This research introduces the topic of the Green Economy in the context of shrinking cities. The analysis is supported by two case studies, one located in Mexico and the other in France, to identify adaptable strategies of sustainable development in different contexts of urban decline that consider significant differences in the availability of resources. Shrinking cities suffer from problems such as depopulation, economic decline and underuse of urban infrastructure, mainly due to a regional process of economic peripheralisation. Shrinking cities can adopt two logics to address these issues: de-peripheralisation and endogenous development. It is argued that shrinking cities can exploit emerging green markets to stimulate economic growth and enhance liveability and sustainability; however, the solutions vary depending on the available resources, local comparative advantages and national political and financial support systems. The Green Economy driven solutions in shrinking cities can follow two main strategies: one is aimed at regrowth, betting on the creation of regional innovation systems by investing in research and development and the local capture of the produced spill-overs; the other, inspired by the concept of greening, aims to improve the quality of urban life of the inhabitants by enhancing the quality of consumption sectors through ecological practices and respect for the environment. The analysis of the two case studies serves as a method to observe different strategies for the sustainable development of shrinking cities by introducing activities in the sectors of the Green Economy. This study supports the global comparative perspective approach in urban studies focusing on urban shrinkage. The context of shrinking cities is explored in Latin America by identifying the eighteen shrinking cities in Mexico.