Green for Everyone? – Just transition to resilient urban neighborhoods ArboRes

Cities face the challenge of becoming climate-resilient while simultaneously solving social problems such as housing shortages and rising living costs. Resilient urban neighborhoods therefore require a just transformation that combines ecological change with social justice. However, urban transformation processes are increasingly encountering resistance that highlights fundamental social conflicts. Social conflicts are also erupting in connection with the expansion of green infrastructure. At the same time, transformation processes toward climate-resilient neighborhoods also hold the potential to strengthen justice and cohesion in the neighborhood.

The aim of the junior research group is to systematically identify conditions and barriers for success in transformation processes using the case study of green infrastructure and to develop practice-oriented approaches for just urban development. The research team combines a cross-city analysis with work in two real-world laboratories in Augsburg and Berlin. In these real-world laboratories, which serve as experimental spaces, local practical knowledge from municipal and civil partners is integrated into the research process. In addition, the researchers develop new approaches for negotiation, participation, and implementation processes and test them in cooperation with these partners.

The IÖW is contributing to the research group in three ways:

• First, Mia Lehn examines, as part of their doctoral research, the emotional dynamics that shape civic engagement in urban greening, and the psychological, social and structural conditions under which such engagement arises, is sustained and becomes effective. Based on these findings, the research will also examine whether and how participatory artistic formats can strengthen civic engagement and attract new, previously underserved target groups to get involved.  
• Second, Friederike Hippe analyses how German climate adaptation policy addresses the social dimension of adaptation. Through case studies in several cities in Germany, she examines the barriers and opportunities for embedding the social dimension of climate adaptation more firmly in local government practice.
• And thirdly, the researchers aim to understand the influence of right-wing populist actors on municipal climate adaptation processes and civil society spaces. This component is being carried out in close cooperation between environmental psychology and political science.