Speaker
Description
Unjust practices have shaped the built environment, encompassing land dispossession, discriminatory land use planning and regulations (Goetz, et al, 2020), harmful material extraction (Malin et al., 2019), toxic production processes, and wasteful construction, consumption, and demolition practices (Grace Farms, 2023; Huuka, 2023). Current building practices and land development processes have exacerbated injustices embedded in the built environment. Embodying Justice in the Built Environment is a multi-phase research project founded on the principle that addressing these injustices is essential to achieving carbon neutrality. This research sought to answer the question: How can cities embody justice as they shape the built environment and pursue climate action?
A research team of faculty from Cornell University and the University of Washington conducted a review of existing literature and an in-depth analysis of policies promoted by the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance, focusing on achieving carbon neutrality through policies related to 1) circularity and waste management, and 2) land use policies and regulations (Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance and One Click LCA, 2020). The team examined building life cycles and systems related to land use, care, and transition and conducted interviews with local government agencies, tribal governments, and community organizations to develop case studies or practice stories. Rooted in participatory action research with community leaders across New York State in the USA, this research was conducted in collaboration with the Circularity Reuse and Zero Waste Development (CR0WD) network. The results of this research are a set of two guides with workbooks for communities to consider (see, for example, Minner, Poe, Heisel, Kopetzky, Porath, and Worth, 2024). This presentation provides an overview of how to use these resources, describes justice considerations within the Embodying Justice in the Built Environment framework, and shares outcomes from considering these resources in cities.
The two Embodying Justice in the Built Environment resources were developed within a North American context and with local government officials from cities in the U.S. and Canada. This presentation will include an analysis of the political and policy similarities and differences between European and North American cities, focusing on carbon neutrality, circularity, waste management, land use, and justice and equity. Additionally, it will examine the differences in format between the two workbooks and explore how they have been and could be applied in various contexts.
References
Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance and One Click LCA (2020) City Policy Framework for Dramatically Reducing Embodied Carbon. Available at: https://www.embodiedcarbonpolicies.com/.
Goetz EG, Williams RA and Damiano A (2020) Whiteness and Urban Planning. Journal of the American Planning Association 86(2): 142–156.
Grace Farms Foundation (2022) Design for Freedom Toolkit. Grace Farms Foundation. Available at: https://www.designforfreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DFF-Toolkit-Download.pdf.
Huuhka, S. (2023) ‘Understanding demolition’, Buildings and Cities, 4(1), p. 927–937. Available at: https://doi.org/10.5334/bc.398.
Malin SA, Ryder S and Lyra MG (2019) Environmental justice and natural resource extraction: intersections of power, equity and access. Environmental Sociology 5(2): 109–116.
Minner, Jennifer; Poe, Jocelyn; Heisel, Felix; Kopetzky, Ash; Porath, Maya; and Worth, Gretchen. (2024) Embodying Justice in the Built Environment: Circularity in Practice. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University. Available at: https://labs.aap.cornell.edu/just-places-lab/publications
| Keywords | Carbon Neutrality; Justice; Circular Cities; Waste, Land Use |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
