Real-Time Evaluation of City–University Partnerships for Sustainability and Resilience

Caughman, Liliana; Keeler, Lauren Withycombe; Beaudoin, Fletcher

doi:10.3390/su12218796

Cited by 8 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 37 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Research on P&Cs shows that they are most successful at reaching their intended outcomes when the initiatives have well-defined shared goals, agreed-upon processes and appropriately chosen actors (Liliana Caughman, Keeler, et al , 2020). Unfortunately, these details were rarely delineated for each proposed partnership across the planning documents.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One of the most central themes is the development, use and enhancement of inter-institutional and cross-disciplinary partnerships and collaborations (P&Cs) (Chi, Williams, Chandra, Plough, & Eisenman, 2015; Drakaki & Tzionas, 2017; Marana, Labaka, & Sarriegi, 2018; Schauppenlehner-Kloyber & Penker, 2016). These P&Cs can be formal or informal and span a range of configurations but require that individuals and organizations come together for a common goal (Caughman, Keeler, & Beaudoin, 2020; Crowe, Foley, & Collier, 2016; Nevens, Frantzeskaki, Gorissen, & Loorbach, 2013). P&Cs are related to the concept of urban resilience in several ways.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this case, Portland State University administrators and researchers came together with city leaders from the bureaus that work on water, sewer, environmental services, sustainability and disaster management. Although defined differently by all participants, the term resilience united the team and strengthened their resolve to work together, leading to an integrated infrastructure resilience planning session and the formation of an ongoing cross-bureau collaborative team in the city (Caughman, Keeler, et al , 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Characterization of partnerships and collaborations in US cities' urban resilience plans

Caughman

2022

RAUSP

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UN SDG) number 13 calls for urgent action to combat climate change impacts. Urban resilience planning documents often articulate partnerships and collaborations (P&Cs) as critical strategies. This study aims to identify the actors, the topics, processes, and visions of collaboration. Design/methodology/approach This paper explores the characterization of urban resilience partnerships via a thematic content analysis of resilience strategy documents produced in US cities through the 100 Resilient Cities Project. Findings P&Cs are defined broadly, taking several forms to meet various objectives. They act as boundary objects engaging across social groups, but the details of the P&Cs are rarely articulated, which is problematic for their implementation. P&Cs are commonly discussed in relation to the focus of the work; therefore, they less often define the specific actors, processes or transformative visions involved. Research limitations/implications This research focuses only on the resilience plans written in US cities, showing the perspective of US policymakers. Documents analyzed were produced via the Rockefeller Foundation's 100 Resilient Cities Project. Practical implications Understanding and categorizing the who, what, when and why of P&Cs for urban resilience provide a deeper understanding of how these strategies are being described and offer a starting point for tangibly actualizing partnerships and collaborations outside planning documents. Social implications To reach vital urban resilience goals, P&Cs must be designed and managed appropriately. Understanding the shortcoming of current P&C policies can help managers mitigate problems and find better approaches. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this paper is the first to analyze how P&Cs are being articulated and described in urban resilience plans. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number 13 calls for urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. As urbanization continues and the effects of climate change escalate, city governments are finding themselves responsible for the resilience of large populations. To cope, increasing numbers of municipalities are developing urban resilience plans. These documents often articulate partnerships and collaborations (P&Cs) as critical strategies for enhancing resilience capacity and implementing resilience policies. Although specific case studies of resilience-related collaborative practices are well documented in urban resilience literature, little is known about the proliferation of P&C strategies collectively. Furthermore, questions remain regarding the characterization of resilience P&Cs by practitioners, including who is involved and what types of projects they undertake. Therefore, this analysis explores urban resilience P&Cs via a thematic content analysis of resilience strategy documents produced in 16 US cities through the 100 Resilient Cities Project. Results indicate that cities prioritize P&Cs in resilience policy implementation, but they often fall short in defining the key components of P&Cs that are vital to their success. The analysis exposes the most common actors, topics, processes and visions described in resilience P&Cs and makes recommendations for how urban resilience P&Cs can be improved in the future.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Characterization of partnerships and collaborations in US cities' urban resilience plans

Caughman

2022

RAUSP

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This may include an accounting of: (i) how sustainability is understood and attempted in cities; (ii) a history of actions and relationships; (iii) political dynamics; (iv) socioeconomic and geographic context; and (v) municipal assets ranging from infrastructure investments to the capacity of city administrators to rise to the call of sustainability goals. Cityuniversity partnerships that transcend single transdisciplinary project cycles, and focus on values and long-term goals, can support researcher-practitioner relationships that can perform such a regular and honest accounting (Caughman and Keeler, 2020).…”

Section: Urgency and The Need For Transformative Actionmentioning

confidence: 99%

AudaCITY: A Capacity-Building Research Method for Urban Sustainability Transformation

Keeler

Bernstein

Nelson

et al. 2022

Front. Sustain. Cities

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The scale and urgency of sustainability problems the world over has led to calls for sustainability transformations in cities, regions, and countries. Such calls for transformation are underlain by a persistent knowledge-to-action gap between scientific knowledge production, policy, and practice. To rise to the challenges of sustainability and resilience, municipal administrators need to set evidence-based and ambitious sustainability targets and develop strategies to achieve them. Simultaneously, transdisciplinary sustainability science researchers need to generate scientific knowledge to further enable cities along pathways of transformation. This paper details a collaborative backcasting game, AudaCITY, developed to build transformative capacity in city administrations while also generating deep contextual knowledge to inform a transformative sustainability science research agenda. We present AudaCITY's key features, potential applications and adaptations, and exemplary outputs and outcomes for cities and researchers. We conclude with recommendations for adopting and adapting AudaCITY for use in action-oriented and transformational sustainability science and capacity building.

show abstract

“…City-University partnerships (CUPs) are common, but also tend to be narrowly focused on specific projects in research, development, or workforce training (Caughman et al 2020). While these can each have sustainability aspects, it is less common to find CUPs that are explicitly organized to center and advance transformational sustainability goals, such as completely decarbonizing or ending energy poverty in their city (Trencher et al 2014;Keeler et al 2018Keeler et al , 2019.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Building transformative city-university sustainability partnerships: the Audacious Partnerships Process

et al. 2023

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

City governments and urban universities are well-positioned to play critical roles in advancing urban sustainability transformations. However, in partnering, cities and universities often focus efforts on discrete sustainability-related projects, neglecting the development of long-term relationships and deep, inter-organizational ties that can allow for collaboration on lasting and transformational change. Yet, at both cities and universities there are often individuals who are deeply interested in developing better partnerships that contribute to the sustainability and livability of their communities. This research develops and tests an evidence-based and facilitated process to guide sustainability researchers and municipal practitioners in the development of transformational City-university partnerships for sustainability. The Audacious Partnerships Process was tested by four City-university partnerships including Arizona State University and the City of Tempe, Dublin City University and the City of Dublin, King’s College London and the City of Westminster and the National Autonomous University of Mexico and Mexico City. The Audacious Partnerships Process as well as results from post-surveys and interviews following implementation are elaborated. We conclude with key lessons for modifying and implementing the process to contribute to transformative partnership development.

show abstract

Real-Time Evaluation of City–University Partnerships for Sustainability and Resilience

Cited by 8 publications

References 37 publications

Characterization of partnerships and collaborations in US cities' urban resilience plans

Characterization of partnerships and collaborations in US cities' urban resilience plans

AudaCITY: A Capacity-Building Research Method for Urban Sustainability Transformation

Building transformative city-university sustainability partnerships: the Audacious Partnerships Process

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About