We are pleased to be working with Dr. Chad Walker, Assistant Professor of Low-Carbon Transitions in the School of Planning at Dalhousie University, to bring the Local Futures project to life in the City of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Dr. Walker has research interests and expertise related to several of the UN’s 17 SDGs, conducting research on low-carbon transitions, climate adaptation, climate risk, and community energy planning. In much of this work, he partners with Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities from across Canada through Community-Based Participatory Research approaches.
One of Dr. Walker’s notable projects is [Em]powering Communities: An analysis of Participation, Inclusivity, Equity, and Support for Solar Energy in Halifax, which is assessing a range of solar programs, including Halifax Regional Municipality’s “Solar City”, with an equity lens. The Solar City Program is a city initiative supporting community members to install solar panels by providing rebates and incentives. Funded by HCi3 and SSHRC, Dr. Walker and his research team undertook their project to understand who has benefitted from this program so that it can be more accessible in the future. This project is contributing to a just energy transition by ensuring that climate solutions and mitigation strategies are equitable and accessible to those most impacted by both climate change and the rising costs of energy.
Dr. Walker is cross appointed in the School for Resource and Environmental Studies at Dalhousie. It is through this position he learned about Local Futures and the possibility to participate and represent Atlantic Canada through our Halifax-based component of the project. Dr. Walker will be working with Evelyn Ferguson, a 4th year honours and co-op student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Sustainability at Dalhousie, who will be joining the project in the Fall and completing her thesis focused on Halifax’s efforts as they relate to the SDGs.
In Local Futures, he will look to leverage his position at Dalhousie’s School of Planning and existing relationships with staff at the Halifax Regional Municipality to better understand local and community-centered responses related to the SDGs.
Check out our full list of partners on the Project Partners Page.