Just Urban Transitions and Shifting Labour Patterns

Globally, cities are responsible for around 75 per cent of the world’s energy consumption and over 70 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. As part of international commitments toward low-carbon development, increasing attention is being paid to cities as critical sites for change. However, there is currently a limited understanding of the justice aspects of these shifts. Moreover, little is known about how the world of work will change in cities. In 2015, International Labour Organization (ILO) guidelines underscored the connection between climate policies and human and labor rights, emphasizing the potential for sustainable transition to drive social equity, inclusion, and poverty eradication. However, there remains a lack of clarity around what “good green jobs” might look like in cities and how to ensure vulnerable groups are not left behind – particularly in developing cities of the Global South which are often characterized by high rates of informal labour.
This event builds upon research conducted by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) and Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) in 2023 to explore examples from cities around the world. drawing out key themes and implications to build a conceptual framework for a Just Urban Transition. Desk based literature review was combined with interviews with FES offices and key partners in selected cities in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, and Europe. Topics include cooperative models of public transportation modernization, the role of the informal waste sector, urban agriculture pilot schemes, and discussion on the transformative potential for 15-minute city models of urbanism to address intersecting social and ecological challenges.

The event will begin with a 10-minute presentation to set the scene and relay key findings from the research. This will be followed by a 40-minute panel discussion involving urban practitioners, researchers, urban planners, academics and municipal representatives to provide ground-level insight into the topic. Key questions will centre around what Just Urban Transition looks like in different urban contexts, the overarching principles we need to take forward, how we can turn policy to action, and how good practice approaches and local actions can be further scaled while showcasing some success stories from Amman, Cairo, and Bangkok. The final 10 minutes will be reserved for Q&A and plenary discussion.
The full report this session is based on is available here:
https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/international/20601.pdf