摘要：SummaryShrinking cities are often neglected in the context of global urbanization, the tip of the iceberg that was driven by underlying complex sets of causes. Therefore, it is urgent and crucial to investigate the invisible aspects of global urbanization propelling specific challenges to attain Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG 11) related to sustainable cities and communities. Here, we identify shrinking cities in 1992–2000, 2000–2012, and 2013–2018 and predict them in 2018–2050, using nighttime light images and redefined natural city boundaries. The proportion of shrinking cities increased from 9% to 16 and 25%. Looking ahead, there will be 7,166 predicted shrinking cities in 2050, accounting for 37% of all cities. In this context, synergistic efforts like regreening vacant lands and constructing compact cities would help achieve SDG 11 in consideration of the new urban shrinking landscape with multisource data like CO2emissions and points of interests (POIs).Graphical abstractDisplay OmittedHighlights•Nighttime light images perform well in identifying shrinking cities in the world•Natural cities can be used as a benchmark for comparison of shrinking cities•Shrinking cities in 2050 are predicted to account for 37% of all cities•Synergistic efforts aiming at shrinking cities will help achieve SDG 11Earth sciences; Remote sensing; Urban planning; Human Geography
