In the last decade, several Portuguese municipalities have faced population decline. This paper systematizes the strategies most implemented by the Portuguese central and local governments and identifies their results in dealing with population decline. Based on a survey of the most important newspapers and municipal websites, and by using economic and demographic annual data for 10 years (1999-2008), it was found that the majority of the municipalities have implemented strategies of 'smart growth' and 'smart shrinkage', while the others have presented a misperception of shrinkage. The resilience of each municipality, in moving from activities in primary and secondary sectors to activities in the tertiary sector, was identified as an important factor for the success of smart growth strategies.
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