Transitioning to a sustainable society requires us to look into the effects of capitalism and its continuous desire for growth in cities. Author, British ecological economist and professor of sustainable development Tim Jackson (2021) appeals to us to understand this finite resourced planet as he urges us to understand that ‘there is no growth on a dead planet’. There are several authors, researchers, organizations and others now joining his plea in reminding us that ‘the relentless pursuit of eternal growth has delivered ecological destruction, financial fragility, and social instability’. This understanding also needs to extend to the way we live in cities and the way they are designed.
In the early 2000’s in France, the concept of degrowth entered activism as a slogan (‘Décroissance’) to push against consumerism and commodification. Since then, it has developed primarily within the field of ecological economics, even initiating a conference that started in 2008. Degrowth now operates as a starting point for envisaging new worlds that can provide better lives with less, in which sustainability goes hand in hand with equity and a pluriverse of alternative substitutes to the growth “machine” that characterizes contemporary society.
In the early 2000’s in France, the concept of degrowth entered activism as a slogan (‘Décroissance’) to push against consumerism and commodification. Since then, it has developed primarily within the field of ecological economics, even initiating a conference that started in 2008. Degrowth now operates as a starting point for envisaging new worlds that can provide better lives with less, in which sustainability goes hand in hand with equity and a pluriverse of alternative substitutes to the growth “machine” that characterizes contemporary society.
To transition from a consumer-driven society into a regenerative and restorative one, we need to look at the ill-effects of capitalism and what alternatives are available for degrowth in a post-growth city and society. Degrowth needs to be designed into the making and living in our cities or near them. This obligates us to think differently as designers, as businesses & entrepreneurs, and as citizens. We have a finite planet with limited resources; we cannot continue growth indefinitely.
RESOURCES ON POST-GROWTH
BOOKS
Post Growth planning: cities beyond the market economy - Federico Savini, António Ferreira, Kim von Schönfeld eds (Verso books 2020)
Post Growth living: for an alternative hedonism - Kate Soper (Verso books 2020)
Exploring degrowth: a critical guide – Anitra Nelson and Vincent Liegey (Pluto Press, 2020)
Beyond money: a postcapitalist strategy – Anitra Nelson (pluto press 2022)
Post Growth living: for an alternative hedonism - Kate Soper (Verso books 2020)
Exploring degrowth: a critical guide – Anitra Nelson and Vincent Liegey (Pluto Press, 2020)
Beyond money: a postcapitalist strategy – Anitra Nelson (pluto press 2022)
Food for degrowth: perspectives and practices – Anitra Nelson (Routledge 2021)
Post-growth geographies: spatial relations of diverse and alternative economies – Bastian Lange, Martin Hülz, Benedikt Schmid, Christian Schulz (eds) (Transcript Verlag 2022)
Less is more: how degrowth will save the world - Jason Hickel (penguin random house 2020)
The Divide: a brief guide to global inequality and its solutions- Jason Hickel (cornerstone 2018)
Post-growth geographies: spatial relations of diverse and alternative economies – Bastian Lange, Martin Hülz, Benedikt Schmid, Christian Schulz (eds) (Transcript Verlag 2022)
Less is more: how degrowth will save the world - Jason Hickel (penguin random house 2020)
The Divide: a brief guide to global inequality and its solutions- Jason Hickel (cornerstone 2018)
The future is degrowth: a guide to a world beyond capitalism – Matthias Schmelzer, Andrea Vetter, Aaron Vansintjan (Verso Books 2022)
The Routledge Handbook of Degrowth - Anitra Nelson and Vincent Liegey eds.(Routledge 2025)
Post-growth: life after capitalism – Tim Jackson (Polity 2021)
The Care Economy– Tim Jackson (Polity 2025)
The Case for Degrowth – Giorgos Kallis, Susan Paulson, Giacomo d’Alisa, Federico Demaria (Polity press 2020)
Degrowth: a vocabulary for a new era – Giacomo D’Alisa, Federico Demaria, Giorgos Kallis eds. (Routledge 2014)
Degrowth – Giorgos Kallis (Agenda Pub 2018)
How on earth: flourishing in a not-for-profit world by 2050 - Jennifer Hinton, Donnie Maclurcan (2016)
Doughnut Economics: seven ways to think like a 21st century economist – Kate Raworth (Penguine random house 2018)
Slow Down: how degrowth communism can save the earth – Kohei Saito (Weidenfeld & Nicolson 2024)
Housing for degrowth: principles, models, challenges and opportunities - Anitra Nelson and François Schneider
Towards a society of degrowth - Onofrio Romano (Routledge 2021)
Post-growth: life after capitalism – Tim Jackson (Polity 2021)
The Care Economy– Tim Jackson (Polity 2025)
The Case for Degrowth – Giorgos Kallis, Susan Paulson, Giacomo d’Alisa, Federico Demaria (Polity press 2020)
Degrowth: a vocabulary for a new era – Giacomo D’Alisa, Federico Demaria, Giorgos Kallis eds. (Routledge 2014)
Degrowth – Giorgos Kallis (Agenda Pub 2018)
How on earth: flourishing in a not-for-profit world by 2050 - Jennifer Hinton, Donnie Maclurcan (2016)
Doughnut Economics: seven ways to think like a 21st century economist – Kate Raworth (Penguine random house 2018)
Slow Down: how degrowth communism can save the earth – Kohei Saito (Weidenfeld & Nicolson 2024)
Housing for degrowth: principles, models, challenges and opportunities - Anitra Nelson and François Schneider
Towards a society of degrowth - Onofrio Romano (Routledge 2021)
Post-growth economics and society: exploring the paths of a social and ecological transition – Isabelle Cassiers, Kevin Meréchal, Dominique Méda (Routledge 2018)