Compendium Small Town Research There is a systematic perception gap regarding small towns in spatial and social sciences. Stereotypical ideas about ‘the’ small town have thus remained relatively unchallenged for a long time. What do we know about small towns − and what not? This compendium sheds light on small town research in Germany from various perspectives and provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of research in various fields. A range of topics is addressed, from basic terms and delimitations, methods and data to conceptual questions of urbanity and rurality as well as of centrality and governance. Life in small towns is of particular interest, and thus socio-demographic, socio-spatial and economic structures and developments as well as issues of mobility and digital transformation in small towns are considered. The 17 contributions to this compendium provide deeper insights into a wide, newly constituting field of research and address open questions.weiterlesen