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This policy brief highlights the important role institutions of higher education can play in dampening the impacts of population decline. It does so based on a study of Maastricht, a medium-sized city in the south of the Netherlands, bordering Belgium and close to Germany. It draws on policy analysis, secondary quantitative data and stakeholder workshops to unravel necessary conditions for higher-education growth in the city. Among other things, it shows the importance of physical infrastructure, accommodating policies and urban attractiveness. Crucially, the Maastricht case demonstrates that the function of higher-education institutions in a city is not a given, but a product of state policies. This suggests redistributive state policies can play a role in dampening population decline or mitigate negative impacts.

This policy brief discusses a new form of urban-regional policy developed in the Dutch South Limburg region to deal with the consequences of population decline. This policy can be summarized as “more city, more rural”, which means regional municipalities aim to strengthen highly urban and rural living environments while selectively diluting in-between neighbourhoods, typically post-war suburban developments. The brief draws on stakeholder interviews and policy analyses to understand the intended benefits, necessary conditions and future performance of this policy. Stakeholders suggest a range of benefits associated with the policy, whilst also acknowledging potential drawbacks. The brief ends with a discussion of the broader applicability of such an urban-regional policy strategy.

Urban shrinkage is about more than population decline. It may undermine local communities and quality of life. This policy brief unravels and tests local policies to maintain or even improve liveability in the case of Maastricht, the Netherlands. Before studying actual policies, the brief first discusses the various and changing interpretations of the concept of liveability. In the Dutch context, liveability is seen to be closely related to neighbourhood-level population compositions. Concentrations of disadvantage are considered threats to liveability by policymakers. The brief therefore looks at policies aiming to mix socially disadvantaged neighbourhoods in the face of shrinkage. It discusses the intended benefits and necessary conditions, before assessing the future performance of such policies. The brief also pays attention to criticisms of such social mixing policies.

This policy brief discusses a new form of urban-regional policy developed in the Dutch South Limburg region to deal with the consequences of population decline. This policy can be summarized as “more city, more rural”, which means regional municipalities aim to strengthen highly urban and rural living environments while selectively diluting in-between neighbourhoods, typically post-war suburban developments. The brief draws on stakeholder interviews and policy analyses to understand the intended benefits, necessary conditions and future performance of this policy. Stakeholders suggest a range of benefits associated with the policy, whilst also acknowledging potential drawbacks. The brief ends with a discussion of the broader applicability of such an urban-regional policy strategy., 3S RECIPE is part of the Joint Programming Initiative (JPI) Urban Europe's ERA-NET Cofund Smart Urban Futures Call (ENSUF). This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 857160. The Dutch research team was funded by the Dutch Research Council (Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, NWO) under project number 438-16-403.

This policy brief highlights the important role institutions of higher education can play in dampening the impacts of population decline. It does so based on a study of Maastricht, a medium-sized city in the south of the Netherlands, bordering Belgium and close to Germany. It draws on policy analysis, secondary quantitative data and stakeholder workshops to unravel necessary conditions for higher-education growth in the city. Among other things, it shows the importance of physical infrastructure, accommodating policies and urban attractiveness. Crucially, the Maastricht case demonstrates that the function of higher-education institutions in a city is not a given, but a product of state policies. This suggests redistributive state policies can play a role in dampening population decline or mitigate negative impacts., 3S RECIPE is part of the Joint Programming Initiative (JPI) Urban Europe's ERA-NET Cofund Smart Urban Futures Call (ENSUF). This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 857160. The Dutch research team was funded by the Dutch Research Council (Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, NWO) under project number 438-16-403.

Urban shrinkage is about more than population decline. It may undermine local communities and quality of life. This policy brief unravels and tests local policies to maintain or even improve liveability in the case of Maastricht, the Netherlands. Before studying actual policies, the brief first discusses the various and changing interpretations of the concept of liveability. In the Dutch context, liveability is seen to be closely related to neighbourhood-level population compositions. Concentrations of disadvantage are considered threats to liveability by policymakers. The brief therefore looks at policies aiming to mix socially disadvantaged neighbourhoods in the face of shrinkage. It discusses the intended benefits and necessary conditions, before assessing the future performance of such policies. The brief also pays attention to criticisms of such social mixing policies., 3S RECIPE is part of the Joint Programming Initiative (JPI) Urban Europe's ERA-NET Cofund Smart Urban Futures Call (ENSUF). This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 857160. The Dutch research team was funded by the Dutch Research Council (Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, NWO) under project number 438-16-403.