01385nas a2200121   4500008004100000245009400041210006900135260001200204520093200216100001601148700003001164856006901194       2014                        eng d00aGrassroots Movements and Urban Development - the Cases of Kitakyushu, Japan and Leipzig -0 aGrassroots Movements and Urban Development the Cases of Kitakyus  aLeipzig3 aAs a result of the “shrinking” societies in Germany and Japan, cities and regions are facing different challenges. While metropolitan areas like Berlin and Tokyo are growing quickly, intermediate cities like Leipzig and Kitakyushu can only keep their population or grow slowly. After a process of deindustrialisation, these cities still carry dozens of empty buildings and vacant spaces. There is a demand to struggle with such unoccupied spaces. But while the urban planning as the usual “top-down” method is limited, various grassroots movements by local activists create vivid urban life styles. A city with empty spaces has a lower economic pressure on its inhabitants and a climate for alternative modalities is created. It is intended to focus on the possibilities of our future life by learning from the study of Leipzig and Kitakyushu. Keywords: Leipzig, Kitakyushu, De-industrialization, alternative modalities1 aImai, Heide1 aMinkus, Architect, Noriko  uhttps://degrowth.community/conference2014/scientific-papers/3330