Extreme heat and uneven urban development: Planning & community responses to climate adaptation w/ Sophie Van Neste

Extreme heat and uneven urban development: Planning & community responses to climate adaptation w/ Sophie Van Neste

Author: youssef bouchi April 12, 2024 Duration: 58:15

Sophie L. Van Neste is an associate professor in urban studies at INRS (Tiohtià:ke/Montreal), holder of a Canada research chair in urban climate action. Her research focuses on social movements in urban environmental politics and participatory action research for justice in climate adaptation. 

In this episode, we sit with Sophie and discuss the politics of climate adaptation, or how urban landscapes are changing as a result of a warming planet. Key topics include planning/organizing around extreme heat in Lachine, Montreal; the role of historical uneven development in present day climate adaptation; and “climate justice” as a framework for coalition building. Hope you enjoy it!

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Some papers by Sophie: 

Place, pipelines and political subjectivities in invisibilized urban peripheries

Forthcoming, discussed in this episode: Extreme heat and uneven urban development : missing politics in climate adaptation. Van Neste SL, D’Amours, AM, Poulin E. 2024.

Some valuable resources mentioned by Sophie: 

⁠Just Climate Adaptation In Cities: Reflections For An Interdisciplinary Research Agenda⁠ by Vanessa Castán Broto

Check out the website of the living lab on climate adaptation to which Sophie belongs:https://laboclimatmtl.inrs.ca/ 

Sophie asks you to keep an eye out for a collaborative book coming up co-written with municipal and community actors. 

Sophie speaks to the legacies of uneven development also in this blog interview with the group Heritage Montreal and the McCord Museum; you can see there a few images of the site: https://blog.heritagemontreal.org/patrimoine-et-transition-ecologique-perspectives-urbaines-et-memorielles-avec-sophie-van-neste/ 

NOTE: it’s in French.


Hosted by Youssef Bouchi, geopolitical ecology is a podcast that digs into the complex and often unseen connections between political power, global systems, and the natural world. Each episode moves beyond simple environmental discussion to examine how borders, resources, and international relations are fundamentally shaped by-and in turn shape-our planet's ecology. We look at the stories behind the headlines, from water conflicts and energy corridors to the politics of conservation and extraction. The conversations aim to unravel how control over nature is exercised, contested, and reimagined across different landscapes and communities. This isn't just about science or policy in isolation; it's about their messy, fascinating intersection. Tune in for thoughtful analysis that frames the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and resource scarcity as deeply geopolitical issues, revealing the intricate webs where environment and power meet. You'll find this podcast sits at the crossroads of critical social science and ecological thinking, offering a necessary lens for understanding the forces structuring our contemporary world.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 17

geopolitical ecology
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