The politics of rapid urban transformation

This paper addresses the potential for urban change in relation to rapid transitions and the 1.5 °C target. Interventions to achieve rapid urban transformation are typically framed in technical and economic terms. This means that the social and political conditions for rapid urban transformations may be overlooked. We address this gap by highlighting recent insights from sociology, human geography and urban studies that consider how the transformative potential of technical interventions is conditioned by social and political dynamics. The paper highlights three dimensions of such dynamics - the politics of governance, infrastructure and everyday practice - and proposes six areas where the understanding of the politics of rapid urban transformation can be improved.