Urban Climate Politics: Agency and Empowerment

Description

Since the 1990s, a burgeoning literature has emerged on the politics and governance of urban climate. It is now evident that urban responses to climate change involve a diverse range of actors as well as forms of agency that cross traditional boundaries, and which have diverse consequences for (dis)empowering different social groups. This book provides an overview of the forms of agency in urban climate politics, discussing the friction and power dynamics between them. Written by renowned scholars, it critically assesses the advantages and limitations of increasing agency in urban climate governance. In doing so, it sheds critical new light on the existing literature, advances the state of knowledge of urban climate governance and discusses ways to accelerate urban climate action. With chapters building on case studies from across the world, it is ideal for scholars and practitioners working in the area of urban climate politics and governance. This is one of a series of publications associated with the Earth System Governance Project. For more publications, see www.cambridge.org/earth-system-governance.

Jeroen van der Heijden is Professor and Chair in Regulatory Practice at the School of Government, Victoria University of Wellington and Honorary Professor at the School of Regulation and Global Governance, Australian National University. His research is concerned with innovations in urban climate governance in the global north and global south. Recent books include Innovations in Urban Climate Governance (Cambridge, 2017) and Governance for Urban Sustainability and Resilience (2014). He is a member of the International Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning. Harriet Bulkeley is Professor of Geography at the University of Durham. Her research is concerned with the nature and politics of environmental governance, and she has particular expertise in the areas of climate change, energy and urban sustainability. Recent books include Transnational Climate Change Governance (edited with Andonova, Betsill, Hoffmann, Newell, Paterson, Roger, and Vandeveer; Cambridge, 2014) and Cities and Climate Change (2012). She currently convenes the H2020 NATURVATION project examining urban innovation with nature based solutions for sustainable development. Chiara Certoma is Marie Sklodowska-Curie Research Fellow at Ghent University, Belgium and the Scuola Superiore di Studi Universitari e di Perfezionamento Sant'Anna. Her principal research topics include the politics of space and place, the effects of informal urban planning practices, and the role of new ICTs in urban sustainability governance. Recent books include Citizen Empowerment and Innovation in the Data-Rich City (edited with Dyer, Rizzi and Pocatilu, 2017) and Postenvironmentalism: A Material Semiotic Perspective on Living Spaces (2016).