On the Connection Between Urban Sustainability Transformations and Multiple Societal Crises

Haase, Annegret; Bedtke, Norman; Begg, Chloe; Gawel, Erik; Rink, Dieter; Wolff, Manuel

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-59324-1_4

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Nevertheless, while windows of opportunity for change can occur, they are by no means guaranteed by crises [27]-rather they depend on a constellation of leadership, financing, and capacity. Previous experience suggests that whether or not crises are used for initiating or accelerating sustainability transformations depends on factors such as the severity and type of crisis, the public and media framing [28], socio-economic capacities, and interests to "rebuild better" [26,29]. For example, it may be argued that the EU stimulus package to respond to the COVID-19 crisis has been particularly green because it had already embarked on a green new deal track before the COVID-19 crisis.…”

Section: Crises Generally Open Up For Societal Change Towards Environmental Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Sustainability Post-COVID-19: Scrutinizing Popular Hypotheses from a Social Science Perspective

et al. 2021

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There is an increasingly vocal debate on potential long-term changes in environmental sustainability spurred by the global COVID-19 pandemic. This article scrutinizes the social science basis of selected popular hypotheses regarding the nexus between the COVID-19 pandemic and the societal transitions towards environmental sustainability. It presents results that were derived through an interdisciplinary dialogue among social scientists. First, it is confirmed that the COVID-19 crisis has likely created a potential window of opportunity for societal change. Yet, to ensure that societal change is enduring and actually supporting the transition towards environmental sustainability, a clear and well-targeted political framework guiding private investments and behavior is required. Second, it is emphasized that there are important structural differences between the COVID-19 crisis and environmental crises, like time scales. Consequently, many strategies used to address the COVID-19 crisis are hardly suitable for long-term transitions towards environmental sustainability. Third, it is argued that transitions towards environmental sustainability—building both on reducing environmental degradation and building socio-techno-ecological resilience—may create co-benefits in terms of preventing and coping with potential future pandemics. However, research still needs to explore how big these synergies are (and whether trade-offs are also possible), and what type of governance framework they require to materialize.

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Section: Crises Generally Open Up For Societal Change Towards Environmental Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Sustainability Post-COVID-19: Scrutinizing Popular Hypotheses from a Social Science Perspective

et al. 2021

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“…If this money is spent on green, low-carbon investments, stimulus programs may facilitate the transition towards environmental sustainability. However, whether this actually happens in times of crisis depends on a variety of factors, such as the severity and type of crisis, the public and media framing, socio-economic capacities, and interests to “rebuild better” (Geels 2013 ; Haase et al 2018 ; Hay 1999 ). In principle, crises may also hinder or delay sustainability transitions as unemployment and economic problems often dominate immediate political concerns and debate (Ashford et al, 2012 ).…”

Section: Ambiguous Sustainability Effects Of Political Changementioning

confidence: 99%

“…He argued that a window of opportunity for political change may open up if (1) there is high attention to a problem, (2) a feasible solution is available, and (3) policy-makers have the motive and opportunity to accept it. How crises may (or may not) trigger political (or, more generally, institutional) change has been extensively discussed by the social science literature of institutional analyses and transition studies (for an overview, see Haase et al 2018 ). In addition, behavioral scientists have tried to understand how and when crises may lead to individual change (for an overview, see Schäfer et al 2012 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Making the COVID-19 crisis a real opportunity for environmental sustainability

et al. 2021

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An optimistic narrative has gained momentum during the first year of the pandemic: the COVID-19 crisis may have opened a window of opportunity to “rebuild better”, to spur societal transitions towards environmental sustainability. In this comment, we review first evidence of individual and political changes made so far. Findings suggest that economies worldwide are not yet building back better. Against this background, we argue that a naïve opportunity narrative may even impair the progress of transitions towards environmental sustainability because it may render green recovery measures ineffective, costly, or infeasible. Based on these observations, we derive conditions for green recovery policies to succeed. They should consist of a policy mix combining well-targeted green subsidies with initiatives to price emissions and scrap environmentally harmful subsidies. Moreover, green recovery policies must be embedded into a narrative that avoids trading off environmental sustainability with other domains of sustainability—and rather highlights respective synergies that can be realized when recovering from the COVID-19 crisis.

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“…Sehnbruch and Donoso Knaudt 2020). Cities also face a global biodiversity crisis, forced migration, and economic shocks exacerbated by eroding labour protections, low-paid work, and poverty (Haase et al 2018). City authorities are expected to respond to these issues, often despite limited formal powers and ability to raise funds, fragmented governance systems, and (in some parts of the world) longterm erosion of governance capacities due to funding cuts and privatisation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Compound urban crises

Westman

Patterson²,

Macrorie

et al. 2022

Ambio

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The crises that cities face—such as climate change, pandemics, economic downturn, and racism—are tightly interlinked and cannot be addressed in isolation. This paper addresses compound urban crises as a unique type of problem, in which discrete solutions that tackle each crisis independently are insufficient. Few scholarly debates address compound urban crises and there is, to date, a lack of interdisciplinary insights to inform urban governance responses. Combining ideas from complex adaptive systems and critical urban studies, we develop a set of boundary concepts (unsettlement, unevenness, and unbounding) to understand the complexities of compound urban crises from an interdisciplinary perspective. We employ these concepts to set a research agenda on compound urban crises, highlighting multiple interconnections between urban politics and global dynamics. We conclude by suggesting how these entry points provide a theoretical anchor to develop practical insights to inform and reform urban governance.

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On the Connection Between Urban Sustainability Transformations and Multiple Societal Crises

Cited by 6 publications

References 27 publications

Environmental Sustainability Post-COVID-19: Scrutinizing Popular Hypotheses from a Social Science Perspective

Environmental Sustainability Post-COVID-19: Scrutinizing Popular Hypotheses from a Social Science Perspective

Making the COVID-19 crisis a real opportunity for environmental sustainability

Compound urban crises

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