Spatial Justice Analysis of Urban Sustainability Transition Plans: A Critical Examination of Ten European Cities

Description

This paper analyses how spatial justice is considered in the current urban sustainability transition plans of 10 European cities. With a pressing need for systematic cross-sectoral analyses of justice in climate action, resilience, carbon neutrality, and other sectoral transitions, this study addresses a gap in the literature by focusing on the social dimension of sustainability. The analysis unfolds in two stages. Firstly, the paper employs the Values, Strategies, Objectives, and Actions (VSOA) methodology to extract core information from the documents drafted by the cities. It provides a structure for analysing the key elements and understanding how values are articulated and translated into actionable items. It helps to identify the overarching vision, the strategies devised to achieve it, the specific objectives outlined, and the concrete actions proposed. Secondly, spatial justice is used as a framework for a qualitative comparative analysis of how cities address distributive, procedural, and recognition justice. It involves the fair allocation of burdens and benefits, the attention to processes that do not create or exacerbate inequalities, and the validation, protection and compensation of marginalised and vulnerable identities and groups affected by these transitions. This contribution demonstrates the utility of the VSOA methodology for critical discourse analysis in interpreting strategic urban planning and exposing sustainability transition discourses to the values of spatial justice, validating its potential not only as a normative perspective but also as a rigorous analytical tool for examining and evaluating urban sustainability transitions.

Period	14 Jun 2024
Event title	2024 RSA Annual Conference: Global Challenges, Regional Collaboration and the Role of Places
Event type	Conference
Location	Florence, ItalyShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International