Shrinkage is not less, shrinkage is different. Shrinkage as the accelerator of change. The book "The Antistad" shows the genesis of the Netherlands' most aging, most transitional and, according to some, most failed city: Heerlen. The Antistad shows that Heerlen is no exception. Illustrious paragons like Detroit (US), Wolverhampton (GB), Herne (GER), Genk (BE), Essen (DE), Scranton (US) tell their own stories, but struggle with the same issues: the dramatic consequences of economic decline and demographic contraction. Decades of growth pushed the existence of such phenomena as non-growth and shrinkage into the background. Now the Netherlands can no longer ignore the facts. The country is a collection of "islands of growth in a sea of shrinkage. But how do you do that, grow smaller? How do we build the city smaller? The Antistad is a guide and pioneer for "rebuilding": building for fewer people, and dealing with a surplus of space and facilities.