A Research Agenda for Transformative Urban Climate Action

This commentary from the Journal Editorial Board sets out the research agenda for the journal and invites contributions. We want to elicit and synthesize research- and practice-based knowledge toward the goal of resilient, equitable cities in a world with less than 1.5°C of warming, focusing on the transformational change needed to achieve this goal. Within this focus, we set out two primary areas that are pivotal to demonstrate the economic and political strategies necessary to stop climate breakdown: ecologically and socially viable and just economic systems; and purposeful, progressive, and inclusive government and governance. We set out key principles of transformational change and invite a plurality of conceptualizations, particularly emphasizing the need and potential of drawing on emerging thinking at regional, national, and international levels and applying it to city-scale. We outline the need for action-oriented, policy-relevant research in collaboration with city actors, tackling priority challenges in real-time, as well as an openness to new knowledge, perspectives, and contributors. We aim to catalyze and realize the opportunity to combine collective city action with academic (re-)thinking and research activism, in order to empower mayors with the evidence and narrative to create sustainable, thriving cities.