What Causes a City to Grow or Shrink?

Imagine a city as a giant living creature. When it gets enough food, like jobs and money, it grows strong and healthy. But if there’s not enough food, or too many people leave, the city can shrink and even get sick.

If lots of new people move in, maybe because there are good schools or cool jobs, the city will grow bigger and busier.

Sometimes a city might lose big companies or people might move away to cheaper places. Then it can start getting smaller and quieter.