Metropolitan issues are often complex by nature and usually require a combination of engagement and cooperation, regardless of whether they touch on spatial, social or sustainability challenges. Engagement and cooperation, however, cannot be taken for granted. Our research group explores how residents, government agencies and other stakeholders can co-create urban environments, as well as providing support through one of our hands-on approaches. With our partners, we help create engaged cities.
Challenges in the realms of sustainability, social inequality and housing often play out at the neighbourhood level. That’s where you see what works and what doesn’t. Neighbourhoods are also fertile breeding grounds for cohesive solutions, developed and implemented by and together with those directly involved. A good example is our research on the position of park managers in cracking down on illicit finance in business parks.
There are countless grass-roots initiatives led by residents and business owners to shape their environment together. What opportunities do these initiatives hold and what are potential challenges? We explore these democratic innovations in our research group, for example in our project on sustainable citizens’ councils.
Cities face major sustainability challenges such as the energy transition and heat transition, but balancing equity and effectiveness can be a sticking point. What, for example, truly is climate justice? Our research group is exploring which forms of governance and collective approaches can be harnessed to strike a good balance.
Prof. dr. Stan Majoor is Professor Coordination of Urban Issues and Professor by Special Appointment of Local Planning Professionals. As a planning and administrative scientist, his interests lie in practical puzzles at the intersection of spatial, administrative and social domains, for example around neighborhood renewal, energy transition and citizen participation.
