Meeting of the Urban Working Group

Organized by Urban Working Group

Building on the ongoing work of the ESG Urban Working Group, the objectives of this session are to:

• Explore synergies in the research of the Urban Working Group members;
• Conduct a strategic discussion on plans for the Working Group for 2024-2025 (focusing in particular on the possible delivery of a special issue).

The first part of the meeting will be centered around a set of interventions delivered by ESG urban researchers about what unites researchers of the Urban Working Group. The aim is twofold. First, by reflecting on uniting themes in the work of urban scholars, we seek to charter the directions of the debate in urban environmental governance research. We will invite in between three to five scholars to present insights related to topics, empirical domains, and theoretical directions. Second, these interventions are part of the efforts of the Urban Working Group to create more connections between members of the Urban Working Group, but also with researchers of urban environmental governance. The format will be a set of short presentations (5-7 minutes), followed by questions, and a discussion exploring possibilities for collaboration.

In the second part of the meeting, the co-conveners will provide an update on the activities and progress of the Working Group achieved over the past year and hold a structured discussion around opportunities and plans for collaboration moving forward. Points for discussion include a potential special issue in the Earth System Governance journal. The Urban Working Group has been active at ESG conferences since its inception in 2020, especially through the coordination of panels and innovative sessions. Conveners want to catalyze all these efforts in the coordination of a collective output. The second part of the meeting will also focus on the opportunities to get involved in the Urban Working Group. The discussion will explore other possible collaborative outputs for the coming year, e.g., webinars, applications for funding, or exchange of teaching materials.