Post-Socialist Shrinking City in the Borderland Danube Region

Abstract

Border cities are particularly susceptible to urban shrinkage. The EU territorial documents consider borderland cities and regions as more vulnerable ones (EC, 1999). The border effect manifests itself in a two-fold manner, on the one hand, cities can be affected by accessibility issues, having few connections to their own country or be under the pull of larger nearby cities. On the other hand, they might experience an economic boom due to the border proximity, but once the connection is disrupted the effects are acute.