Post-growth cities in Germany: Challenges and opportunities of collaborative governance

For many decades, area-based strategies targeted at reducing inequality and decline have focused on economic measures. The rise of regional socioeconomic inequality and growing political polarization call for alternative strategies in the attempt to increase the quality of life in disadvantaged areas. This article examines the role of governance in enabling civil society involvement in mid-sized cities facing economic and demographic decline in Germany. By integrating post-growth concepts, the research highlights governance as a critical factor in facilitating or impeding civic engagement under resource constraints. The conceptual framework is spatially applied through two case studies in mid-sized cities in structurally disadvantaged areas in Germany. For this, qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2022 and 2023 with both citizens engaged in local civil society organizations and leadership personnel from the local administrations. The case studies provide insights into two distinct models of governance in relation to citizen engagement: a dispersed model and a centralist model. Whereas the centralist model relies on long-term collaborations with civil society organizations and volunteers, the dispersed model features more independent structures and less strategic collaboration. • Post-growth strategies can provide realistic and sustainable narratives for declining cities • Collaborative governance can strengthen civil society engagement • Post-growth realities can foster new governance mechanisms • Civil society engagement can contribute to a higher perceived quality of life in post-growth cities • Post-growth cities are highly dependent on civil society stakeholders in counteracting political polarization