Urban Geography and the Production of Socio-Environmental Inequalities

Marc Parés

Geography Department, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.

DOI: 10.4236/ijg.2013.46A2006                

Abstract

In this article we use the Urban Political Ecology approach to show that by analysing governance networks we can better understand the production of certain socio-environmental transformations that negatively affect some social groups while benefiting others. Drawing upon two case studies in the UK, the article explores the dialectical relationships between different modes of urban governance on one hand and the socio-environmental transformations fulfilled in each case study on the other hand. The article concludes that although urban regeneration policies are always constrained by the neoliberal established framework of power relations, policy outputs and outcomes could be very different from one place to another, shaping uneven socio-environmental constructions. Finally, we make some recommendations in order to stimulate the production of more sustainable communities in the future.

Keywords

Urban Regeneration; Governance; Urban Political Ecology; Environmental Justice; Sustainable Communities

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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