Policy & Governance

RESEARCH OVERVIEW

Policy and governance instruments will be critical in supporting sustainable urban infrastructure transitions. Decisions at all levels of government can influence the adoption of infrastructure innovations or they can entrench exiting path dependencies, in turn making change difficult. For example, current regulations and policy in many cities limit water reuse, micro-grid integration, and urban agriculture.

Disruptive technologies and infrastructure innovations can be powerful transition drivers, but virtually all will need accompanying policy guidance to ensure that widespread deployment of new technology does not lead to unintended negative consequences (e.g. self-driving cars leading to increased sprawl and vehicle miles traveled). New governance mechanisms and institutions, both formal and informal, will need to evolve in order to strike an appropriate balance that effectively facilitates, rather than impedes, sustainable infrastructure transitions driven by new technologies and infrastructure reconfiguration.

While it is important to design smart policies at individual scales of government, sustainable urban infrastructure transitions also demand sophisticated coordination of policy actors across infrastructure sectors & levels of government (e.g., city sustainability offices, metropolitan planning organizations, & regional entities).

The network’s policy and governance research efforts focus on understanding the most effective policy and governance configurations that support infrastructure transitions via redesign, reconfiguration, and technological innovation. Similarly, network researchers are working to identify the motivations of different policy and governance actors for investing in or supporting sustainable urban infrastructure transitions.

OUR PRODUCTS

Urban Systems Science for People and the Planet

  • March 2023
  • Video
  • Author: Princeton University

Anu Ramaswami and Ted Russell reflect on the contributions of the NSF-funded Sustainable Healthy Cities Network, at a closing workshop held on March 30-31, 2023.

Tackling Air Pollution: Learnings from India, China, and the US

  • March 2023
  • Video
  • Author: Princeton University

At at joint workshop of the Sustainable Healthy Cities Network, INFEWS, and the Metropolis Initiative, researchers discussed how to tackle air pollution. Speakers included: Armistead Russell, Georgia Tech Denise Mauzerall, … Read more

Designing equitable infrastructure interventions for carbon and air pollution mitigation in Indian cities

  • September 2022
  • Journal Brief
  • Author: Multiple

Both greenhouse gas (GHG) and PM2.5 (small, inhalable particles) air pollution emissions create challenges for cities. Both can arise from multiple infrastructure sectors in cities, including fossil fuel use in … Read more

Flooding and stormwater: how cities prepare for the future

  • May 2021
  • Journal Brief
  • Author: Multiple

In this study, researchers analyzed guiding policy documents from six cities to catalog and compare their stormwater management strategies. Read the two-page journal brief here: Flooding and stormwater: how cities … Read more

Considering the role of urban types in coproduced policy guidance for sustainability transitions

  • July 2020
  • Peer-Reviewed Articles
  • Author: Multiple

Tabory, S. & A. Ramaswami (2020). Considering the role of urban types in coproduced policy guidance for sustainability transitions. Urban Transformations, 2, 8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s42854-020-00013-x ABSTRACT: The imperative to massively and … Read more

Updating the Institutional Collective Action Framework

  • May 2020
  • Peer-Reviewed Articles
  • Author: Multiple

Kim, S., Swann, W., Weible. C., Bolognesi, T., Krause, R., Park A., Tang, T. Maletsky, K. Feiock, R. (2020). Updating the Institutional Collective Action Framework. Policy Studies Journal. ABSTRACT: The … Read more

Policy Analysis of Instrument Design: How Policy Design Affects Policy Constituency

  • April 2020
  • Peer-Reviewed Articles
  • Author: Multiple

Curley, C., Feiock, R., & K. Yu (2020). Policy Analysis of Instrument Design: How Policy Design Affects Policy Constituency. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice. DOI: 10.1080/13876988.2020.1749517. ABSTRACT: … Read more

Interlocal collaboration and local climate protection

  • May 2019
  • Peer-Reviewed Articles
  • Author: Multiple

Youm, J. & R. C. (2019). Feiock. Interlocal collaboration and local climate protection. Local Government Studies, 45(6). ABSTRACT: The influences of state government have been curiously absent from most studies … Read more

The Collaboration Riskscape: Fragmentation, Problem Types and Preference Divergence in Urban Sustainability

  • April 2019
  • Peer-Reviewed Articles
  • Author: Multiple

Deslatte, A. & R. Feiock. (2019). The Collaboration Riskscape: Fragmentation, Problem Types and Preference Divergence in Urban Sustainability. Publius: The Journal of Federalism, 49(2), 352-377. ABSTRACT: Local governmental efforts to … Read more

Reviewing Stormwater Utility Fees for Efficiency, Equity, Adequacy and Feasibility

  • April 2019
  • Journal Brief
  • Author: Jerry Zhao, Camila Fonseca, and Raihana Zeerak

Stormwater utility fees (SUFs) are on the rise among US municipalities. What do local decision makers need to know about SUFs and how should they be thinking about SUFs in … Read more

Stormwater Utility Fees and Credits: A Funding Strategy for Sustainability

  • April 2019
  • Peer-Reviewed Articles
  • Author: Jerry Zhao, Camila Fonseca, and Raihana Zeerak

Zhao, J.Z., Fonseca, C., & R. Zeerak. (2019). Stormwater Utility Fees and Credits: A Funding Strategy for Sustainability. Sustainability, 11(7). ABSTRACT: Lack of stable and dedicated funding has been a primary … Read more

Science-Policy Dialogue Report No. 1- Distributed and Localized Infrastructure in Cities

  • September 2018
  • Report
  • Author: Multiple

The localization and decentralization of key infrastructure systems has emerged as a potential strategy for helping cities achieve multiple sustainability outcomes spanning environment, economy, health, wellbeing, and equity. Examples of … Read more

Can Local Food Production Meet Household Demand? A Look at 377 US Metros

  • August 2018
  • Journal Brief
  • Author: Peter Nixon and Anu Ramaswami

What food is already being produced in and around cities in the United States? How does current food production in a given metropolitan area compare to household demand for key … Read more

Electric, Autonomous, and Shared Vehicle Technology Adoption

  • August 2018
  • Journal Brief
  • Author: Neil Quarles and Kara Kockelman

With the ongoing advancement of electric, autonomous, and shared vehicle technologies, how readily will Americans adopt these technologies, and what are their opinions towards them? A survey of 1,426 adult … Read more

Patterns of Urban Infrastructure Capital Investment in Chinese Cities and Explanation through a Political Market Lens

  • August 2018
  • Peer-Reviewed Articles
  • Author: Multiple

Tong, K., Zhao, Z., Feiock, R., & Ramaswami, A. (2018). Patterns of urban infrastructure capital investment in Chinese cities and explanation through a political market lens. Journal of Urban Affairs, https://doi.org/10.1080/07352166.2018.1499417. ABSTRACT: Cities … Read more

Design Choices and Equity Implications of Community Shared Solar

  • May 2018
  • Peer-Reviewed Articles
  • Author: Multiple

Chan, G., Evans, I., Grimley, M., Ihde, B., & P. Mazumder. (2017). Design choices and equity implications of community shared solar. The Electricity Journal, 30 (2017), 37-41. ABSTRACT: What is the … Read more

City-level Action to Reduce the Environmental Impact of Food Systems

  • May 2018
  • Journal Brief
  • Author: Dana Boyer and Anu Ramaswami

How do city-level actions related to food production, consumption, and food waste management affect the greenhouse gas (GHG), water and land impacts of the larger food system? Footprints of urban … Read more

Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Transitions in the ASEAN Region: A Resource Perspective (UN Environment and Sustainable Healthy Cities collaboration)

  • February 2018
  • Report
  • Author: Multiple

The ASEAN nations are a hot spot for rapid urbanization over the next 30 years: Between 2015 and 2050, ASEAN cities are projected to add 205 million new urban residents … Read more

The Weight of Cities: Resource Requirements of Future Urbanization (International Resource Panel report with Sustainable Healthy Cities contributing authors)

  • February 2018
  • Report
  • Author: Multiple

Over the next 30 years, an additional 2.4 billion people are likely to be added to the global urban population. This increase in population will result in a significant expansion … Read more

Circular Economies and Low Carbon Urban Infrastructure Planning

  • February 2018
  • Podcast
  • Author: Anu Ramaswami

What is the unique role that urban infrastructure planning can play in national carbon mitigation? In this podcast, learn how cities are positioned to plan infrastructure systems using circular economy … Read more

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