Urban transformative potential in a changing climate

Abstract

SDGs and IPCC Cities offer an unprecedented opportunity for a transformative urban agenda. This also requires bold, integrated action to address constraints imposed by economic, cultural, and political dynamics. We move beyond a narrow, techno-centric view and identify five key knowledge pathways needed to catalyze urban transformation. While the topic of urban responses to climate change has been on the research agenda for the past two decades, 1 it has only slowly made its way onto the global stage, and is now at a critical juncture

Urban transformative capacity: From concept to practice

“…Acknowledge, strengthen, and shape the crucial role of intermediaries and local academia Transformation and sustainability science scholars acknowledge for the mutual alignment occurring between multiple actors and organizations in complex system changes, suggesting the need for boundary-spanning collaboration, trust-building, goal-coordination, and knowledge co-production (Voß et al 2006;Lang et al 2012;Romero-Lankao et al 2018). Formal and/or informal intermediary organizations or individual brokers which effectively promote and develop such connecting activities are therefore widely recognized as critical for urban transformations (Ernstson et al 2010;Hamann and April 2013;Hodson et al 2013;Pflitsch and Radinger-Peer 2018;Kivimaa et al 2019).…”

“…This overall trend includes major regional variations ranging from rapid urbanization in South East Asia and Africa, to stagnation and also shrinkage in Europe and East Asia, and thus the need for differentiated responses (ibid). However, under all regional conditions it will be pivotal to develop holistic approaches addressing a multitude of interconnected urban actors, practices, and places in order to achieve the necessary global-level sustainability transformations (Frantzeskaki et al 2017;Acuto et al 2018;Romero-Lankao et al 2018).…”

Urbanization in the time of climate change: Examining the response of Indian cities

“…For the most part, the relationship between urban compactness, transit networks and density with climate change, especially in terms of adaptation, remain understudied (Byahut, ; Padukone, ; Sethi, ; Sethi & Mohapatra, ). This is not simply a question of spatial planning, but also one of political economy of land and real‐estate (Chakravorty, ) and whether the increasingly speculative mode of real‐estate growth is compatible with climate objectives or exacerbates risks (Romero‐Lankao et al, ). The development practices in mega‐cities of Kolkata and Mumbai suggest the latter (Weinstein, Rumbach, & Sinha, in press).…”

“…For example, in Coimbatore, the city government has to consider multidecadal growth patterns and impacts on water sources across jurisdictions, alongside immediate considerations such as transportation, drainage and sewage management, all while balancing industrial, ecological, social and political interests (Bhardwaj & Khosla, ). This also tilts the focus on climate change to the wider political and social drivers of urbanization such as political economy of land and infrastructure (Bhardwaj & Khosla, ; Romero‐Lankao et al, ; Weinstein et al, in press).…”

“…Indeed, the emissions to upgrade and construct infrastructure to accommodate this growth is projected to be 226 Gt of CO 2 by 2050 (Bai et al, ), nearly 20% more than the G‐77's (excluding China's) CO 2 emissions since 1850 (World Resources Institute, ). At the same time, cities in transitioning economies often have limited local capacities, scarce data and informal governance structures, making their climate responses different from those documented in developed countries (Anguelovski, Chu, & Carmin, ; Bai et al, ; Carmin, Anguelovski, & Roberts, ; E. Chu, Anguelovski, & Roberts, ; Nagendra et al, ; Parnell & Pieterse, ; Romero‐Lankao et al, ; Satterthwaite, Huq, Pelling, Reid, & Romero Lankao, ).…”