Background
Global warming, loss of nature and rising inequality are among the greatest challenges society is facing. The need to address the ecological and social crises in conjunction, and at all geographical levels, is widely acknowledged. As we confront these challenges, cities and the urban dimension seem to become increasingly important.
Much of the sustainability attention given to cities, is centered on how the built environment – often singular buildings and property development projects – can contribute to realize the global sustainability agenda. But at the same time as urban development and architecture seems to become more and more “sustainable” and “green”, indicators are still pointing in the wrong direction regarding both the ecological and inequality crises.
In an era where “sustainability” is becoming an increasingly important strategy for urban real estate development, conducting critical studies of the visions and practices for sustainability is a pressing task for research.
About the project
This PhD project will investigate interconnections between ecology, social justice, political economy, and urban development at multiple scales. By going deep into the development and management of an individual building that holds sustainability high as a goal, it will explore complex interconnections of sustainability issues in the built environment.
The objective of this project is to critically examine current visions and practices for sustainability in urban development, and highlight challenges and opportunities for a multi-scalar socially inclusive energy transition at the urban level. By adopting a planetary approach to issues of nature, capital and social justice – and acknowledging Oslo as a wealthy city in the global north with a reputation of being both quite green, “sustainable” and egalitarian, at the same time as it is highly dependent on external nature and labor – the project aims to contribute to expand and further develop theories of urban environmental justice theory in urban studies and human geography in general.
This is a doctoral project carried out by Hannah Sigriddatter Ander at the Department of Sociology and Human Geography at the University of Oslo.
Duration
2024 – 2028
