Transforma)ve Sustainability Governance:
Triggering Change on a Urban Planet
Sarah Burch Geography and Environmental Management @SarahLynnBurch Sarah.burch@uwaterloo.ca
This image doesn’t explicitly show us that sustainability challenges are: • Deeply rooted in values (who and what we value, over what )me frame) • Norma)ve and subjec)ve • S)ll poorly understood • Uncertainty, complexity • Changing at non-linear rates • Tipping points and surprises • Affect various sectors, social groups, genera)ons differently
Furthermore, there appears to be impa0ence in both theory and prac0ce. In response to these challenges, we’re seeing the word ‘transforma0on’ (or transi0on) cropping up, expanding, gaining momentum…
Why transforma)on? Indicators of the Anthropocene
Planetary boundaries: a safe opera)ng space for humanity (RockstrÜm, Steen, Folke, Liverman, van der Leeuw et al, 2009)
Planetary boundaries are intertwined, and so are responses op)ons
What is a sustainability transforma)on?
Fundamental changes in structure, func)on and rela)ons within socio-technical-ecological systems, that lead to new paZerns of interac)ons and outcomes
Who par)cipates in transforma)on? How do they par)cipate?
• Governance: the processes of interac)on and decisionmaking among the actors involved in a collec0ve problem that lead to the crea)on, reinforcement, or reproduc)on of social norms and ins)tu)ons (Huffy, 2011) – Private sector, small businesses – Networks – Civil society
A research agenda: how to explore transforma)on • Ques)ons: – How can sustainability solu)ons be governed in a way that addresses both capaci)es and barriers at mul)ple scales? – How can responses to climate change contribute to a broader, deeper sustainability transforma)on? – What role do non-tradi)onal actors play in triggering and accelera)ng sustainability transforma)ons?
A research agenda: how to explore transforma)on • Methods – Compara)ve and metaanalysis/interpreta)on – Deep qualita)ve data • Posi)onality
– Visualiza)on – Crowd-sourcing and social media – Par0cipatory ac0on research
E. Ampaire
David Flanders, CALP
Thank you!
sarah.burch@uwaterloo.ca
Western Harbour Malmรถ, Sweden