’24-‘25
City & Environment
Master Sociologie
Hanne Van der Heyden
Universiteit Antwerpen
,1.1 Brief history: sustainable development and sustainability ......................................................................... 3
1.2 Construct ambiguïty and classification of perspectives ............................................................................. 9
1.3 Criticisms on the concept sustainable development + lessons learned .................................................... 11
1.4 Sustainability transitions: what’s in a name? ........................................................................................... 12
1.5 The multi-level perspective (MLP): introduction to the ‘evolutionary’ approach ........................................ 14
1.6 The MLP applied: preface to “Who Killed the Electric Car” (Oct 24th) ....................................................... 17
2.1 Urban growth and development .............................................................................................................. 26
2.2 Urban social life and diversity ................................................................................................................. 32
2.3 Urban poverty and the welfare city .......................................................................................................... 35
2.4 Public space and the right to the city ....................................................................................................... 39
2.5 Decolonizing the city .............................................................................................................................. 40
2.6 A new epistemology of the urban? ................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.1 (Post-war) policy context: suburbanisation and gentrification .................................................................. 41
3.2 Housing Policy ....................................................................................................................................... 46
3.3 Urban policy .......................................................................................................................................... 49
Who killed the electric car? .......................................................................................................................... 53
4.1 Introduction policy and governance ........................................................................................................ 54
4.2 Transition management ......................................................................................................................... 55
4.3 Nudging ................................................................................................................................................. 58
4.4 Sustainable consumption and political activism ..................................................................................... 61
5.1 Defining urban politics ........................................................................................................................... 63
5.2 Community power debate: pluralism versus elitism ................................................................................ 64
5.3 Urban political economy: ....................................................................................................................... 66
5.4 Politics of scale...................................................................................................................................... 73
5.5 Urban social movements and social capital ............................................................................................ 75
5.6 Urban political ecology: the urbanization of nature .................................................................................. 76
6.1 The (post) industrial city ......................................................................................................................... 78
6.2 A new economic base for cities .............................................................................................................. 79
6.3 The urban informal economy and survival strategies ............................................................................... 80
6.4 Global cities .......................................................................................................................................... 81
6.5 The suburban/gentrification economy and domestic work ....................................................................... 84
7.1 Urban social sustainability ..................................................................................................................... 85
7.2 Risk studies ........................................................................................................................................... 93
7.3 Risk and constructivism: e.g. The SARF ................................................................................................... 95
7.4 Constructivism, SARF and polluted neighborhoods ................................................................................. 98
7.4 Sustainability of the community: 2 case studies .................................................................................... 103
8.1 Environmental justice: a brief introduction ............................................................................................ 110
8.2 What is environmental justice? ............................................................................................................. 111
1
,8.3 From theory to practice ........................................................................................................................ 113
8.4 Elements of environmental justice ........................................................................................................ 115
8.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 116
8.2 What is environmental health? ............................................................................................................. 118
8.3 Historicizing environmental health ....................................................................................................... 120
8.4 The sociological contribution of environmental health ........................................................................... 122
8.1 Spatial planning and environmental health ........................................................................................... 124
8.2 Spatial pattern of Flanders and health risks........................................................................................... 126
8.3 Urban green space as an environmental good ....................................................................................... 127
9.1 End of ‘fortress city’ ............................................................................................................................. 130
9.2 Port and city grow apart ........................................................................................................................ 132
9.3 Emptying out the city: suburbanisation and innercity decline ................................................................. 134
9.4 In slipstream of May 1968: urban contention ......................................................................................... 136
9.5 From the divided to the entrepreneurial city .......................................................................................... 138
9.6 Contending claims for space: port economy, agriculture and nature ...................................................... 141
9.7 The urban economy: tertiarisation and emerging creative industry ......................................................... 143
2
, SOTA 1: The sustainability discourse, eco-modernisation
and society-wide change
1.1 Brief history: sustainable development and sustainability
Sustainability (end 18t ch cent.)
SD = sustainable development
His expectation was that the population would increase increasingly. We need to think in the present about
our actions and how this can affect future generations.
Today we see from different angles attention for the ISSUE OF
POPULATION GROWTH. Population growth is sometimes linked to migration. And there are political groups
that argue against this. Within the national borders we need to promote migration. This issue of population
growth, is not always something that has been discussed but it is very relevant in today’s politics.
• Etien Vermeers also questioned the quantitative part of population growth → He thought that it was
immoral to allow people to have as many children as they want.
Sustainability, the environmental debate during the (end) of the 19th century:
= Focus on the discussion about the choice between ‘preservation’ versus ‘conservation’
Two camps in the 19th century.
• PRESERVATION: it is important to keep nature in good health, but not as the goal itself, but as the
means of humans. With a view on a later use of it by mankind (think about wood, water, agriculture).
Rather than an end to itself, nature is a mean as the function for the use by men.
o Preserving nature in such as way → to maintain the original, virgin state
o That conviction was ventilated in explicitly romantic and spiritual terms
o Origin: European Romanticism and American Transcendentalism
• CONSERVATION:
o Point of departure = illuminated self-interest → important to keep the natural environment in
good shape with a view to its later use
o Utilitarian attitude
3
City & Environment
Master Sociologie
Hanne Van der Heyden
Universiteit Antwerpen
,1.1 Brief history: sustainable development and sustainability ......................................................................... 3
1.2 Construct ambiguïty and classification of perspectives ............................................................................. 9
1.3 Criticisms on the concept sustainable development + lessons learned .................................................... 11
1.4 Sustainability transitions: what’s in a name? ........................................................................................... 12
1.5 The multi-level perspective (MLP): introduction to the ‘evolutionary’ approach ........................................ 14
1.6 The MLP applied: preface to “Who Killed the Electric Car” (Oct 24th) ....................................................... 17
2.1 Urban growth and development .............................................................................................................. 26
2.2 Urban social life and diversity ................................................................................................................. 32
2.3 Urban poverty and the welfare city .......................................................................................................... 35
2.4 Public space and the right to the city ....................................................................................................... 39
2.5 Decolonizing the city .............................................................................................................................. 40
2.6 A new epistemology of the urban? ................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.1 (Post-war) policy context: suburbanisation and gentrification .................................................................. 41
3.2 Housing Policy ....................................................................................................................................... 46
3.3 Urban policy .......................................................................................................................................... 49
Who killed the electric car? .......................................................................................................................... 53
4.1 Introduction policy and governance ........................................................................................................ 54
4.2 Transition management ......................................................................................................................... 55
4.3 Nudging ................................................................................................................................................. 58
4.4 Sustainable consumption and political activism ..................................................................................... 61
5.1 Defining urban politics ........................................................................................................................... 63
5.2 Community power debate: pluralism versus elitism ................................................................................ 64
5.3 Urban political economy: ....................................................................................................................... 66
5.4 Politics of scale...................................................................................................................................... 73
5.5 Urban social movements and social capital ............................................................................................ 75
5.6 Urban political ecology: the urbanization of nature .................................................................................. 76
6.1 The (post) industrial city ......................................................................................................................... 78
6.2 A new economic base for cities .............................................................................................................. 79
6.3 The urban informal economy and survival strategies ............................................................................... 80
6.4 Global cities .......................................................................................................................................... 81
6.5 The suburban/gentrification economy and domestic work ....................................................................... 84
7.1 Urban social sustainability ..................................................................................................................... 85
7.2 Risk studies ........................................................................................................................................... 93
7.3 Risk and constructivism: e.g. The SARF ................................................................................................... 95
7.4 Constructivism, SARF and polluted neighborhoods ................................................................................. 98
7.4 Sustainability of the community: 2 case studies .................................................................................... 103
8.1 Environmental justice: a brief introduction ............................................................................................ 110
8.2 What is environmental justice? ............................................................................................................. 111
1
,8.3 From theory to practice ........................................................................................................................ 113
8.4 Elements of environmental justice ........................................................................................................ 115
8.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 116
8.2 What is environmental health? ............................................................................................................. 118
8.3 Historicizing environmental health ....................................................................................................... 120
8.4 The sociological contribution of environmental health ........................................................................... 122
8.1 Spatial planning and environmental health ........................................................................................... 124
8.2 Spatial pattern of Flanders and health risks........................................................................................... 126
8.3 Urban green space as an environmental good ....................................................................................... 127
9.1 End of ‘fortress city’ ............................................................................................................................. 130
9.2 Port and city grow apart ........................................................................................................................ 132
9.3 Emptying out the city: suburbanisation and innercity decline ................................................................. 134
9.4 In slipstream of May 1968: urban contention ......................................................................................... 136
9.5 From the divided to the entrepreneurial city .......................................................................................... 138
9.6 Contending claims for space: port economy, agriculture and nature ...................................................... 141
9.7 The urban economy: tertiarisation and emerging creative industry ......................................................... 143
2
, SOTA 1: The sustainability discourse, eco-modernisation
and society-wide change
1.1 Brief history: sustainable development and sustainability
Sustainability (end 18t ch cent.)
SD = sustainable development
His expectation was that the population would increase increasingly. We need to think in the present about
our actions and how this can affect future generations.
Today we see from different angles attention for the ISSUE OF
POPULATION GROWTH. Population growth is sometimes linked to migration. And there are political groups
that argue against this. Within the national borders we need to promote migration. This issue of population
growth, is not always something that has been discussed but it is very relevant in today’s politics.
• Etien Vermeers also questioned the quantitative part of population growth → He thought that it was
immoral to allow people to have as many children as they want.
Sustainability, the environmental debate during the (end) of the 19th century:
= Focus on the discussion about the choice between ‘preservation’ versus ‘conservation’
Two camps in the 19th century.
• PRESERVATION: it is important to keep nature in good health, but not as the goal itself, but as the
means of humans. With a view on a later use of it by mankind (think about wood, water, agriculture).
Rather than an end to itself, nature is a mean as the function for the use by men.
o Preserving nature in such as way → to maintain the original, virgin state
o That conviction was ventilated in explicitly romantic and spiritual terms
o Origin: European Romanticism and American Transcendentalism
• CONSERVATION:
o Point of departure = illuminated self-interest → important to keep the natural environment in
good shape with a view to its later use
o Utilitarian attitude
3
