7a. Local and Regional Governance (institutions)

Track Chairs:

Meg Holden. Urban Studies and Geography, Simon Fraser University, Canada. mholden@sfu.ca

José Fernando Cuello. Administrative Officer, Department of Environment, City of Bogota, Colombia. doscuellos@gmail.com

Goals and objectives of the track

Questions of governance of sustainable development efforts come to life at the local and regional scale. At the local and regional scale, governance covers many of the practices and policies of sustainable development that define our clearest visions for a sustainable future. Sustainable housing and neighbourhoods, transit oriented communities, urban climate resilience strategies, urban greening and community gardening and forestry initiatives, zero waste and renewable energy solutions all take shape, and demand effective governance, at the local and regional scale. Nor are many of these novel sustainable initiatives part of the mandate of urban and regional governments; they are risky undertakings that demand a collaborative and engaged approach, building effective relationships and partnerships along the way. In this last respect, the research we are calling for in this track relates to the overall theme of ISDRS 2017. A growing body of empirical evidence that suggests that if sustainability is ever to be adequately governed and normalized, this will require an inclusive approach to governance that only proceeds with the active support and participation of a wide range of societal actors, including governmental bodies, businesses and civil society actors.  What is working, and what warnings are needed, regarding practices of institutionalizing and governing sustainable development at the local and regional scale today?

This track welcomes contributions to our learning about what has happened at the scale of cities and local government, by what motivations, means and mechanisms, and where possibilities lie for further advancing sustainability at the local and regional scale. In the Colombian context, many actors will point out the particularly fragmented and polarized quality of local and regional governance, and a continued struggle over development models as the nation moves into a post-conflict state.

Accordingly, the central research questions posed by this track are:

  • What role do local and regional governance actors play in the achievement of sustainability goals? Are they leaders, partners and/or supporting bodies?
  • How effective have local and regional actors been in promoting or delivering sustainability? Why?
  • With which other actors do local and regional governance bodies have significant relationships and partnerships, and where are these relationships lagging or lacking? What are the effects of these dynamics on sustainability results?
  • For Colombia in particular, what changes are portended by the end of the armed conflict for local and regional sustainability, and how can local and regional governance actors prepare for these?
  • Again within the Colombian context in particular, what evidence exists of a single path toward sustainable development that might be built out of the fragmented social and economic factions, different struggles for power, and control over natural resources?

In sum, this track particularly welcomes papers that critically analyse and evaluate the nature and influence of local and regional actors in relation to governance of sustainability, in Colombia and internationally. Papers that make a strong conceptual and a robust empirical contribution and which indicate the extent to which governance structures operate across multiple tiers or in diverse contexts are welcome.

 

You may submit your abstract by visiting the Ex Ordo abstract submission system (you will be required to setup an account first): http://isdrs2017.exordo.com

 


 

Meg Holden is Associate Professor of Urban Studies and Geography at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. Meg studies sustainable cities in terms of how ideas, perceptions and policies of sustainability and climate resilience manifest in policy,the built environment and social interactions. Meg's major project is called Ecourbanism Worldwide and examines the evolution of model sustainable neighbourhoods in cities around the world. Meg's new book, published in 2017, is Pragmatic Justifications for the Sustainable City: Acting in the common place (Routledge Equity, Justice and the Sustainable City series).

José Fernando Cuello is an architect and expert on environmental management, land use planning and ecourbanism. He has worked for the City of Bogota's Department of Environment as a participant, coordinator or director of public environmental projects, including the city's management plan, observatory, and Ecourbanism and sustainable construction policy, the construction and operation of environmentally friendly classrooms in urban protected areas, the implementation of the main ecological structure in the city, environmental guidelines for land use planning and large scale housing projects. Also is university lecturer at Universidad Piloto de Colombia.

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