Informed Cities: Making Research Work for Local Sustainability

Informed Cities looks at the knowledge brokerage processes between cities and higher education institutions, and in particular evaluates governance mechanisms for monitoring local sustainability and the role of research within this.

The first part of the book provides an analysis of tools for governing sustainable cities and develops a typology of existing tools. It then considers approaches to monitor local sustainability on a European level, focusing on a number of key tools such as the Covenant of Mayors, Reference Framework for Sustainable Cities, and Green Capital Award. The second part of the book introduces an explorative application of two tools that the author team have used in practice to monitor local sustainability, Urban Ecosystems Europe and Local Evaluation 21, presenting and evaluating European level data collected from local governments.

The third part of the book looks deeper into a number of case studies discussing how a working and rewarding city-university connection can be created and nourished in an administrative and political setting. Finally, the last part of the book reflects on lessons learned from the application of the tools and accompanying research process and makes recommendations for further developing monitoring tools for urban sustainability on a European level.

This book will be essential reading for professionals in urban and regional planning who are tasked with monitoring the effects of sustainability policies, as well as for graduate students in planning, environmental governance, sustainable development and related disciplines.

Marko Joas is a full professor in Public Administration at Åbo Akademi University (Turku). His research interests have touched upon empirical (local) environmental governance, innovative democracy and comparative sustainable development, all these in a national, regional and European contexts. He has published within these areas peer-review articles, edited volumes as well as monographs, for example Governing a Common Sea (Earthscan 2008 with Detlef Jahn and Kristine Kern) and Governing Sustainable Cities (Earthscan 2005 with Bob Evans, Kate Theobald and Susan Sundback).

Kate Theobald has extensive experience as both researcher and manager of large-scale FP6 projects within the domain of local sustainable development and planning. She has been working with these issues at The Sustainable Cities Research Institute within the School of the Built Environment at Northumbria University (Newcastle). She has also written numerous academic works, including Governing Sustainable Cities (Earthscan 2005 with Bob Evans, Marko Joas, and Susan Sundback) and Local Environmental Sustainability (2003 with S. Buckingham).

David McGuinness is a Senior Lecturer in Urban Regeneration and Planning, within the Faculty of Engineering & Environment at Northumbria University. His research encompasses sustainable development, urban regeneration and planning. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Member of the Town & Country Planning Association.

Cristina Garzillo, PhD, is an architect and urban planner, and Project Co-ordinator for Urban Governance at ICLEI, European Secretariat. She has been employed by ICLEI since 2005. Cristina has several years of experience working with local governments, is a contract Professor at the University of Parma, and an expert in local sustainability processes, integrated management and urban governance.

Stefan Kuhn is Deputy Director for Europe of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. He is an urban geographer with further studies in economy, social and educational sciences; a senior trainer and consultant for sustainable urban development and participation processes; a coordinator of international and national research and pilot projects; and a senior expert in Local Agenda 21, local governance, integrated management, and EU and UN sustainable development policy.