Understanding the role of centralization processes for cities - Evidence from a spatial perspective of urban Europe 1990-2010

Against this background, the paper will revisit van den Berg's et al. model and test it against the urban conditions in Europe between 1990 and 2010 by asking whether cities are decentralizing or centralizing and whether there are differences between growing and shrinking cities. The paper develops a city delineation, covering large and small cities, uses data about age structure, and applies an adapted model by measuring the intensity of the trends. The rapidly changing population trends since the beginning of the global economic crisis and its effects in Europe since 2008 require that more attention be paid to changing configurations between cities and processes beyond cities' borders, which is essential for both scholars and urban planners.