Just and Sustainable Urban Systems - Urgent Research Priorities

Our changing climate and associated weather damages present not only challenges but also opportunities to maintain, design, and reimagine just and sustainable urban systems. The challenges highlight inequitable and unjust barriers. The International Society of Industrial Ecology (ISIE) Sustainable Urban System (SUS) board members and colleagues have identified and recently published research priorities for just and sustainable urban systems, aiming to address resource inequities and injustices and advance urban systems. The three research priorities are: (1) social equity and justice, (2) circularity, and (3) digital twins and are in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of No Poverty, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Reduced Inequalities, Sustainable Cities and Communities. In this talk, we will discuss each priority in terms of context and research directions. For socialequity and justice, we discuss historical injustices, equity analysis and inclusionary practices, and diverse stakeholder engagement. For circularity, a discussion on just circular economies will be presented, along with the need for advanced metrics, robust evaluation frameworks, and dynamic modeling across spatial and temporal scales. Lastly, for digital twins, we will focus on complexity, integration, and reducing barriers to data access. Throughout the talk, we will focus on local efforts and community-engaged research.