Just Urban Transitions

Two significant trends are emerging: the expansion of urban climate action, and growing attention to questions of equity and justice.

We propose the concept of Just Urban Transitions as a way to center alternative urban futures: cities where the distribution of environmental risks and benefits do not disproportionately burden marginalized groups; where decision making is transparent, engaged and democratic; and where policies seek to remedy structural inequalities and prior injustices.

In research funded by the Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments, we develop a framework for evaluating the policies and programs state governments have in place to support local flood risk policy and planning. States can play an important role in supporting local planning and ensuring all communities have the resources they need to effectively and equitably adapt to the flood risks of the future.

In research funded by the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and  in collaboration with Matthew Hoffmann, Michele Betsill, and Christopher Gore we are examining the legacy and impact of the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities initiative, which ran from 2013 to 2019. The program aimed to mainstream resilience in city governments around the world. Our project will look systematically at the effects of program participation, the role of equity in climate resilience planning, and the network dynamics of this global effort.