Justin B. Hollander is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University and a Research Scientist at the George Perkins Marsh Institute at Clark University.

• 1. Introduction 2. Perspectives on Growth and Decline 3. When People Leave – The Ruins of Urban Neighborhoods 4. Lessons From a Declining City: Flint, Michigan after 40 Years of Population Loss 5. A New Model for Neighborhood Change in Shrinking Cities 6. Unfamiliar Patterns in the Sun – What Postal Workers Already Know 7. Facing Change in the Central Valley: A Declining Fresno 8. Endless Growth in the Desert? The Fall of Phoenix 9. Abandonment Outside the Magic Kingdom: What Went Wrong in Orlando 10. Conclusion

"[Justin Hollander] favors an idea called "smart decline" or "smart shrinkage" which boils down to a version of the old lemons/lemonade wisdom: If your city stops growing, can you do something positive with that? Can you manage shrinkage the way you once hoped to manage growth?" - Scott Dickensheets, Las Vegas Sun, USA"[Hollander] at Tufts is a rising star in planning research" - Lisa Schweitzer, Associate Professor of Urban Planning, University of Southern California, USA"This is a useful analysis that will be a welcomed addition to the urban planning literature" - Prof Emily Talen, School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, Arizona State University, USA"Hollander takes on the dominant paradigm of cities attempting to grow out of decline and challenges the common assertion that Sunbelt cities will quickly bounce back from the foreclosure crisis. He combines solid scholarship with engaging narrative to make Sunburnt Cities a must read for planners, policymakers, scholars and anyone interested in the future of these boom-and-bust places." - Dan Immergluck, Associate Professor, School of City and Regional Planning, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA"Sunburnt Cities is a call to action for planners and policymakers to change course from "growth at all costs" to a development model that is green and economically sustainable. Hollander once again establishes intriguing connections that few have made as he eloquently describes how communities in the Sun and Rust Belt can learn from each other in addressing declining populations and increasing property vacancy. A must read for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers throughout all regions."- J.M. Schilling, Associate Director, Metropolitan Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA"…you will be captivated by [Hollander’s] vivid descriptions of life in America’s depopulated neighborhoods." - Urban Land Institute"...I have learned a great deal from this book, in particular from the descriptions of the four case-study cities. Furthermore, Hollander has written a very readable book with little jargon and not a word too much." - Housing Studies