Dr. Mathieu (Matt) Feagan, Assistant Professor in the Department of Knowledge Integration published a paper with colleagues from universities across North America on how co-producing new knowledge systems through diverse stakeholder collaborations can improve urban resilience planning for coastal cities facing the impacts of climate change.
Given the compounding complexities of climate change, it’s crucial to view cities as social-ecological-technological systems (SETS). Novel technologies like data visualization, sensors, and analytics can help urban planners gain a more comprehensive view of cities, but equally important is transforming the institutional knowledge systems that cities use to prepare and respond to climate change.
To fill the gap in the literature where practical examples of this co-production are lacking, Matt’s paper presents a case study of three U.S. coastal cities: Miami, San Juan, and Baltimore. In true KI fashion, their findings suggest that incorporating different types of knowledge, especially from communities that have been previously overlooked, can improve urban planning for climate resilience.
Reflecting on his experience and this paper, Matt shares: “The process of working with a large and dynamic team that encompasses so many different kinds of expertise has been powerful and rewarding — I am especially grateful to the community organizers who helped guide the design of new knowledge systems that center frontline communities' expertise and insights.”
Matt's paper Co-producing new knowledge systems for resilient and just coastal cities: A social-ecological-technological systems framework for data visualization is now available to view.