Mobilizing knowledge about urban change for equity and sustainability: developing ‘Change Stories’, a multi-country transdisciplinary study

Helen Pineo*, María José Álvarez Rivadulla, Elis Borde, Waleska Teixeira Caiaffa, Vafa Dianati, Geraint Ellis, Friederike Fleischer, Adriana Hurtado Tarazona, Olga L. Sarmiento, Agustina Martire, Sergio Montero, Gemma Moore, Rebecca Morley, Aarathi Prasad

*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

Our team initially included researchers in London and later expanded to include international collaborators with expertise in urban development, public health and anthropology. This project was primarily conducted through online workshops and interviews (May – Dec 2022), with one in-person workshop in Valencia, Spain (Oct 2022). Research funders have recently increased support for multi-country partnerships that study urban health equity. However, there is often a lack of funding to develop these studies in a way that supports integration of diverse fields and manages research-related aspects of coloniality, such as power imbalances and devaluing certain forms of knowledge. We conducted research to develop a transdisciplinary study proposal with partners in multiple countries, aiming to embed equity into our approach. We used literature review alongside social research methods (94 participants) to develop case study cities and our study design. We found that community involvement in urban governance is important for achieving equity and health, yet it remains under-valued in status quo development models, undermining the potential for cities to support people and the planet. We believe that our approach offers valuable learning for other multi-country transdisciplinary studies.
Original languageEnglish
JournalWellcome Open Research
Volume9
Issue number218
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 24 Apr 2024

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geography, Planning and Development

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