C_05 Planning for Climate-Neutral Cities as a Factor of Social Cohesion
Projects
- Sections:
- Hannover
- Disciplines:
- Spatial Planning , Geography
Abstract
What impact does the planning of climate-neutral cities have on social cohesion? And what role do aspects such as climate justice or spatial and social justice play in this context? In addition to these questions, this work package seeks to identify financial inequalities. It also aims to detect spatial displacement effects or societal tensions that may arise in the course of planning climate-neutral cities.
To this end, the work package examines how planning processes need to be designed in order to advance the socio-ecological transformation. We focus on spatial distributional issues and burdens and analyze the unequal distribution of the (perceived) costs associated with the planning and design of climate-neutral cities and public infrastructures. This allows us to address the following questions:
- How can the climate-neutral city (and its planning) contribute to a more just city?
- And how can it contribute to social cohesion?
The international comparative perspective embedded in the work package deepens our understanding of the conditions and challenges of socio-ecological transformation for social cohesion. In various European cities, we examine patterns, development trajectories, as well as similarities and differences. The aim is to identify when acceptance of significant interventions in urban design exists—and when it does not.
Transfer Activities
Our offerings for municipal actors include workshops aimed at developing practice-oriented solutions for climate-neutral and socially just urban development. In addition, we establish a knowledge platform for municipal stakeholders. Networking workshops with the Deutsche Städte- and Gemeindebund, the Deutsche Städtetag or other national institutions and networks accompany this platform. Furthermore, we plan a continuing education program primarily targeting local planners and architects.
This work package (WP) addresses the pressing societal challenge of planning climate-neutral cities and examines the role that social cohesion plays in urban development planning, as well as the effects that the implementation of such plans has on social cohesion. In doing so, the WP also addresses the thematic focus question concerning the characteristics of newly planned infrastructures and public goods. It seeks to clarify how planning processes in the conflict-laden context of socio-ecological transformation must be designed in order to promote this transformation (loyalty).
The planning of climate-neutral cities is rooted in the European Green Deal and the EU’s goal of making Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. To this end, the European Commission has launched the “Cities Mission for Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities.” However, the implementation and concrete design of the Cities Mission depend to a large extent on local contexts (such as geographical location and climatic conditions), the transformative capacities of national and local actors, public attitudes, and different forms of social cohesion. From a comparative perspective, this raises compelling questions about divergence and convergence in the planning of climate-neutral cities and in conceptions of social cohesion.
The WP examines whether aspects of social cohesion—such as climate justice or spatial and social justice—play a role in the planning of climate-neutral cities. The potential effects of such planning processes (e.g., divisive effects, unequal burdens) on social cohesion have so far received little or insufficient attention. For example, energy-efficient building renovations may lead to increased financial burdens for tenants and, consequently, to socio-spatial displacement of certain groups. Urban development planning may also give rise to societal conflicts in light of anticipated extreme weather events, particularly when considering the upgrading or devaluation of different urban areas.
Against this backdrop, the WP investigates how planning processes need to be structured in order to mitigate infrastructure-related conflicts and address challenges of socio-ecological transformation. With a focus on “cohesion-enhancing” and “cohesion-threatening” factors, the WP addresses not only social inequalities but also spatial distributional issues, unequal (spatial) burdens, and the unequal distribution of the (perceived) costs associated with the planning and design of climate-neutral cities. The research conducted within the WP aims to provide insights into how the planning of climate-neutral cities—and the climate-neutral city itself—can contribute to a more just city and to social cohesion.
The international comparison embedded in the WP further elaborates the conditions and challenges of socio-ecological transformation for social cohesion. In different European cities selected over the course of the project (see Module 2), patterns, development pathways, similarities, and differences are identified that shed light on when the design and implementation of climate-neutral city planning lead to rejection of European policy objectives (exit), and under which conditions a conforming and accepting stance toward substantial interventions in urban design prevails (loyalty).
