Climate solutions to meet the suburban surge: leveraging COVID-19 recovery to enhance suburban climate governance

Abstract

Cities dominate the local climate governance arena, yet both the U.S. and Canada are suburban nations. The vast reaches of suburbia, which far exceed urban cores in land area, population, and emissions impacts, lag on climate action. At the same time, they are comparatively underserved by, and underrepresented within, the policy community. COVID-19 pandemic driven flight from cities to pastoral safety was hyped in the media, but the reality is a more mundane suburban acceleration. As always, suburbs provide more space, 2020s top commodity, at a lower cost. This stands at odds with the prescriptions of urban climate experts, where mixed-use, walkable density is the path to meeting Paris Agreement targets. Without a more expansive approach to subnational action, the popular movement around cities for climate will fail to deliver on its potential. We suggest going beyond narratives that position suburbs as helpful accessories, arguing instead that suburbs themselves can be a locus of climate action. In the context of a green recovery, additional steps include expanding suburban capacity through existing or new networks and supporting organizations engaged in suburban planning to adopt promising practices for equitable, integrated adaptation and mitigation. This approach could be an ideal use of recovery funds, with the potential to parlay immediate action into long-term gains. Governments have always subsidized the suburbs. COVID-19 recovery offers a narrow window to redirect and enhance those subsidies to bring the management of climate impacts within reach. Key policy insights:. Suburbs, due to their share of population, land area and emissions, must become centres of climate action, not accessories to urban plans. . Climate action should be designed to meet the specific circumstances of suburban communities. Examples include focusing on retrofitting existing buildings, integrating mixed-use zoning, and prioritizing demand-side management. . Suburban communities can immediately begin adopting the most promising practices for equitable, integrated adaptation and mitigation.

From Crisis to Opportunity: Local Community Engagement in Post-Pandemic Climate Change Mitigation

“…The world is faced with the challenge of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to environmental changes, including those related to extreme weather events (Zavaleta-Cortijo et al, 2020). The pandemic has demonstrated that slow-moving crises, such as climate change, are equally vital concerns for the global community (Teicher, Phillips, & Todd, 2021). (Khatibi et al, 2021;Zavaleta-Cortijo et al, 2020).…”

Contested densification: Sustainability, place and expectations at the urban fringe

“…In the climate emergency context, densification is increasingly proclaimed as the solution in cities and urban peripheries where negative impacts are being witnessed (Angelo and Wachsmuth, 2020;Rice et al, 2020). In parallel, low-density urban peripheries are also beginning to be considered differently in terms of their potential for nature-based solutions, green infrastructure for climate adaptation and carbon capture, and the implementation of circular metabolisms (Teicher et al, 2021). This trend could move policies closer to the visions and practices of residents at the urban fringe as described by Cadieux (2008) as well as Keil and Macdonald (2016).…”

“…This trend could move policies closer to the visions and practices of residents at the urban fringe as described by Cadieux (2008) as well as Keil and Macdonald (2016). However, these visions of an alternative role for urban peripheries do not currently seem to be nearly as structuring for policies and State instruments as the demands for densification (Wynne et al, 2020;Teicher et al, 2021).…”