The purpose of this paper is to describe the outlook of changes in the spatial order at the urban level after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, and the direction of the review of urban policy. Cities are now in danger of depopulation, economic down-scaling, and monetary loss due to shrinking national wealth. The biggest impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is the early arrival of the urban shrinkage crisis. From now on, it will be important to create cities with increased value as social spaces where diverse human resources are connected in multiple layers, and as physical spaces where economic, living, and working zones overlap. Future urban policies will require a paradigm shift from economic growth specifications to economic contraction specifications. To that end, it is imperative to create cities where goods, money, and information are continuously metabolized through people.

In Japan, as compared with the US and some EU countries, the independent policy think-tanks, above all, so called “advocacy think-tanks” have been so far less developed and valued in public governance. But, major shift in sociopolitical paradigm in recent years, such as new emergence of various “policy-networks” and complication or sophistication in policy issues like climate changes requires, in the field of public governance, promotion of making good use of the specialized or coordinated “APAOs” (Alternative Policy Advisory Organizations) represented by active thinktanks. Lately, even in local governance, so called “municipal think-tanks” established mainly by city-governments have been increasing in the process of decentralization. This situation, as well as popularization of “manifesto” as policy-package, can be considered a sign of introduction of “evidencebased policy making” into Japanese local governance.