Policies and strategies for dealing with different forms of shrinkage: the case of Taranto

Urban regeneration strategies would appear to be a potential pathway for responding to shrinkage, if results were evaluated from both a physical as well as socio-economical perspective. In the case of Taranto, three interlinked causes can be identified as contributing towards such shrinkage (de-industrialisation, suburbanisation, environmental pollution). Regeneration strategies therefore need to take into account a range of different and complex needs in order to accomplish their goals. This chapter gives a brief description of the case of Taranto as a de-industrialised city, highlights its main features of shrinkage, and discusses findings regarding policies and strategies for dealing with shrinkage, attempting to understand the effects of regeneration policies and urban planning strategies already in place in terms of responding to shrinkage at various administrative levels. The chapter concludes with an evaluation of the main features of shrinkage in the case of Taranto.