Does shrinkage have an impact on urban livability? An empirical analysis from Northeast China

Urban shrinkage has emerged as a global socioeconomic development issue, presenting new challenges for countries in advancing the construction of livable cities. To investigate whether urban shrinkage has an impact on urban livability (UL), along with its underlying mechanisms and transmission paths, this study employed comparative inductive analysis and took Northeast China as a case for theoretical discussion and empirical validation. The results indicated that: (1) Shrinkage did have an impact on UL, which was dominated by negative effects and supplemented by positive effects. Furthermore, it exhibited characteristics of phased and dimensional heterogeneity, with significant spatial differentiation. (2) The impact of shrinkage on UL was essentially a comprehensive result of the interplay between the positive and negative effects arising from changes in urban development capacity and per capita occupancy caused by shrinkage. This process involved both variable transmission paths and stock transmission paths, jointly explaining the positive and negative shrinkage effects. This study provides a new perspective on rational cognition for coping with shrinkage effects and their generative logic, as well as theoretical insights for other countries around the world to optimize UL in shrinkage scenarios.