The idea of degrowth — as a slogan, a movement, and a field of research — comes from a simple but radical question: what if reducing production and consumption could actually improve human well-being and the environment? While degrowth shares certain goals with sustainable development, it offers a different path, one that emphasizes fairer distribution of resources, community self-determination, and new ways of thinking across economics, the humanities, and the arts. This symposium focuses on what degrowth means for architecture and urban planning. 

Degrowth has been explored in many disciplines, but there is not yet a single unified model. Still, researchers and activists agree that some form of degrowth — or something similar — is unavoidable. The concept can be understood in three overlapping ways: as a slogan, a social movement, and a scientific theory. This symposium emphasizes the last of these, while also showcasing real-world examples. 

Today, most urban development follows the values of neoliberal economic policy and the assumption of endless growth. These priorities shape our public spaces and often push aside even the most well-meaning “sustainable” projects. Research on degrowth in urban contexts shows that many current models are still bound to the growth paradigm. To move beyond this, we need a fresh theoretical foundation — one that challenges the logic of growth and cannot be absorbed by capitalism. Although a comprehensive architectural or design framework does not yet exist, studies in the field already outline working principles and methods. This symposium contributes to building that knowledge and opening up further discussion.