The Socio-Political Challenges of the Green Transition in Europe

How does the European green transition escalate urban-rural cleavages and trigger socio-political backlashes in cities? 

This line of my research focuses on political backlashes to obstruct progressive climate and sustainability measures at multiple scales (e.g., regional, urban). This work was funded by the Horizon2020 project titled CINTRAN (Carbon Intensive Regions in Transition). I worked with a large European consortium; and led a subsection in the socio-political dimensions of the regional energy transition in Europe. Another grant –  BALTIC-  from Brown University's Climate Social Science Network allowed me to investigate further rural-urban backlashes, and how green transition disadvantage certain groups at the intersection of their identities and environmental injustices in the Baltic states (Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia).

How do mobilized climate policies consider justice and equity in cities?  

Here, I focused on the spatial-temporal dynamics of climate policy mobility from national to urban scales, and collective actions at local levels derived from civic epistemologies. Supported by a one-year grant from the German Institute for International Affairs, I served as Principal Investigator on a project titled "LOCALNET: Local Climate Change Networks in Turkey.” The research introduced a novel methodological framework by employing topic modeling and network analysis to examine a broad corpus of climate change documents, and stakeholder interviews. Moreover, the project explored the intersection of urban vulnerability and climate injustice, zooming on land use policies in nine Turkish cities.

How do urban sustainability measures exacerbate socio-spatial and environmental injustices? 

The last line of my research focuses on analyzing C40 cities and their engagement with environmental justice, specifically procedural justice in their climate action plans. I found that although justice is rhetorically central to the plans, the concrete actions proposed are less oriented towards justice. More specifically, cities still lag behind in procedural justice efforts, as climate policy often prioritizes industry-driven measures (e.g., investments in mobility policies and green infrastructure) while neglecting socio-demographically vulnerable groups, thereby exacerbating spatial disparities. Additionally, my research examines how sustainability policies often prioritize high-profile developments in affluent areas while neglecting underserved communities that face greater environmental risks. In the context of Istanbul and Phoenix, I explore these issues through the lenses of green gentrification, urban green commons and activism, and local adaptation policy support.