Planer

An ESRC Investment
Esrc_logo
  • Home
  • About
  • Research
  • Events
  • Blog
Home Unpacking and re-assembling the urban nexus

Unpacking and re-assembling the urban nexus

Tim Moss, Guest Professor in the Integrative Research Institute on the Transformation of Human-Environment Systems at the Humboldt University of Berlin, spoke on ‘Unpacking and re-assembling the ‘urban nexus’: a socio-technical perspective on urban infrastructures’ at the Nexus Network Urban Nexus workshop.

Tim spoke on the aspirations and critical questions of nexus thinking; the meanings of the urban nexus; the meanings and role of urban infrastructure and the nexus in socio-technical perspective.

Using an example of treated wastewater used on degraded land to grow energy crops in the Berlin-Brandenburg region, Tim outlined the nexus aspirations: to connect wastewater disposal to energy provision and to connect urban modes of wastewater production to rural modes of energy production.

He then outlined some socio-technical challenges encountered:

  • Physical: finding land close enough to sewage treatment plants, unsuitable for food crops and with no risk of groundwater pollution.
  • Institutional: coping with distinct structures, practices and cultures of infrastructure governance (no ‘wastewater transition’ to match ‘energy transition’).
  • Spatial: dealing with territorial jurisdictions unfavourable to a reordering of urban-rural metabolisms of wastewater and energy.
  • Political: unequal distribution of costs and benefits of water reuse local opposition & conflict.

 

For more details download Tim’s talk here TimMossUrbanNexus12May2016

The Nexus Network Urban Nexus workshop was held on 12 and 13 May 2016 at the University of Sussex. Around 60 people were involved and took stock of what kind of plural understandings of ‘urban nexuses’ are emerging, produced by (partnerships between) activists, communities, think tanks, corporations, and multilateral organizations, natural scientists, humanities scholars and social scientists.

You can see the full programme on the Urban Nexus workshop page.

 

Image credit, with many thanks to Nathan Oxley at the STEPS centre.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

May 19, 2016 The Nexus Network
Tweet
Follow @uk_nexus
2 years ago energy, events, food, waterUrban Nexus1,863
The Nexus Network
Making visible the hidden cogs of the urban nexusUrban infrastructure landscape and the politics of dwelling
You Might Also Like
 
ESRC-DFID workshop on sustainability, poverty and conflict/fragility, 7 March 2016, London
 
What is the role of a researcher-activist?

Nexus logo social

Nexus Network on Twitter
Tweets by @
Explore the site
Info

Research coordinator: Cian O’Donovan

Communications and engagement: Becky Ayre

Email: info@thenexusnetwork.org

Read our privacy policy here.

 

about the nexus network

The Nexus Network has been a linked investment from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) in the UK, supporting a community of researchers and stakeholders to tackle nexus interdependencies, trade-offs and decision-making processes. Read more.

2015- 2018. The Nexus Network. Website designed, developed and maintained by Atoms and Bits.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy