The Role of Higher Education Institutions in Urban Climate Transformation

Abstract

To achieve their climate goals for net zero emissions and long-term resilience, most cities will need to radically transform their core urban systems of transportation, energy, waste, buildings, and stormwater management, among others. Multiple billions of dollars will have to be invested by the public and private sectors, and governance structures for planning, regulation, and decision-making will need to be restructured to rapidly adapt to changing climate demands. Higher education institutions can play a unique role in informing, facilitating, and accelerating this transformation. Their research knowledge can inform investments and regulatory decision-making; their students can provide the critical skills needed by private and public stakeholders to support implementation; their campuses can act as “living labs” to test out innovative climate solutions; and their political influence can help inform and advance needed public policy changes. The Boston Green Ribbon Commission (GRC) is a CEO network whose mission is to accelerate the implementation of the City’s Climate Action Plan by convening, organizing, and enabling leaders from Boston’s key sectors, including higher education. Boston and its metro surroundings have one of the highest concentrations of higher education institutions in the world. There are over 64 colleges and universities in Boston and neighboring Cambridge alone, many of which are members of the GRC’s Higher Education Working Group (HEWG). This chapter will share the lessons learned from the GRC and the HEWG on how higher education institutions can help convene key stakeholders to accelerate the urban transformation needed to achieve ambitious climate goals.

Citation

Cleveland, J. and Thakur, A. (2024), "The Role of Higher Education Institutions in Urban Climate Transformation", Lumbreras, J. and Moreno-Serna, J. (Ed.) Higher Education and SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities (Higher Education and the Sustainable Development Goals), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 91-111. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83797-420-720241006