Twentieth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

Cities and urban systems transformations are paramount for global change. These transformations aim at systemic change necessary to tackle socio-ecological challenges, decision-making processes (e.g., policy, plans, programmes) and governance issues in urban systems. To advance policies and planning for urban transformation, understanding the type of capacity that enables the desirable change is necessary. Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is an environmental policy tool with the potential to help this transformation towards urban sustainability. This research explores how SEA contributes to enhancing urban systems transformation capacity. Specifically, this paper examines how an SEA for Sustainability placed-based conceptual framework is linked with urban transformation scholarship and how SEA can contribute to urban transformation capacity towards sustainability. Findings show that SEA for Sustainability is aligned with three main themes focused on the urban transformations’ literature: governance and community empowerment, knowledge co-production and cooperation networks, and resilience enhancement. Overall, this work lays the foundation for future research into examining the effects of SEA in urban systems transformation and exploring opportunities to enhance sustainability in these territories.

Presenters

Alexandra Polido
Assistant Researcher, Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies (GOVCOPP), Department of Social, Political and Territorial Sciences (DCSPT), University of Aveiro, University of Aveiro, Portugal