Globalisation, climate change and urban governance: balancing the scales for both efficient and pro-poor urban futures – The case of Brazil and UK

Academic Purpose

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The main aim of this network is to develop research capacity and facilitate transfer of knowledge on the interface between globalisation, climate change, urban development and urban governance in Brazil and UK and how this impacts on local economies, local livelihoods and access to resources. This is achieved by addressing the following research themes around a central question of how urban governance is responding to the challenges of globalisation and climate change and whether more flexible forms of governance capable of meeting such challenges are emerging/possible;

• Globalisation, urban economic restructuring and urban competitiveness.
• Urban governance including administrative hierarchies, legal and regulatory frameworks, policy and decision making forums, roles and functions of key actors and resultant power networks, partnerships and interactions.
• Climate change, environmental planning/governance and their implications for social and economic development of cities.
• Emerging patterns of agglomeration and local economies including asset protection and livelihoods of local inhabitants and small firms.
• The interface of globalisation and urban governance and understanding whether and how more flexible and multilayered governance structures are emerging in response to globalisation particularly in terms of; mediating conflicting demands of global and local circuits of development, supporting more environmentally sustainable local development patterns in response to climate change, managing access to land, infrastructure and urban services and determining, mediating between and implementing alternative scenarios for urban futures.

The network focuses on governance for sustainable futures and within this, the need to address climate change and promote pro-poor/socially inclusive strategies in an era of competitiveness as a key areas for attention. Cities around the world and particularly rising powers in Latin America are attempting to grapple with these issues and this comparative research will explore how these global processes are being played out in two contrasting countries.

Why the project is necessary