As a lab focused on urban environmental justice, we strive to work closely with affected communities and local decision-makers so that our research can have an impact on real life. To do that, we often organize events with community groups, activists and government representatives to share our findings and discuss issues from different perspectives. As most researchers know, this is where it gets tricky. Conflicting interests, difficulty in translating knowledge to policymakers, and the siloed nature of government departments and agencies often makes it difficult to put research into practice. In this post, we share one of our recent experiences in navigating this complex dialogue, and provide researchers 3 practical must-do’s for researchers looking to put their research into practice.
On October 5, 2022, BCNUEJ held an event to share our latest research on green gentrification in Barcelona to planners and policymakers from the Barcelona City Council and related entities in the city, as well as activists and academics. We delved into our Barcelona-based research findings on green gentrification, green branding, climate injustices, and public space and wellbeing. Additionally, we created a graphic recording of the open discussions that followed in a series of vignettes with the help of visual facilitator Delphine Boghos.
What “green gentrification” means to different people
As we asked the audience for their feedback, it quickly became clear that while “green gentrification” is a familiar term in academic circles and is receiving growing attention in the media and among community activists, it was less familiar, at or least, least politically supported, amongst policymakers. The mention of “greening” and “gentrification” together raised concerns about greening being directly associated with displacement and therefore negative impacts. In this sense, a member of the City Council argued market capitalism and speculation were the culprits, not greening itself. An activist and other academics further argued that the type of greening mattered. While a large-scale park aimed at residents and tourists altogether (as could be the case of the Els Tres Turons project) a pocket park is intended to be used mainly by its neighbors. In other words, greening is not an innocent decision with unpredictable consequences. The different characteristics of green interventions such as the design, purpose and location (among others) can determine differently the actual benefit for residents and its potential gentrification power. And therefore, this should be considered in further decisions for the city.
Complex systems, conflicts of interests, and lack of resources
Greening cities is not easy, policymakers pointed out. The compartmentalization of knowledge among municipal workers hinders the achievement of a de-siloed, transdisciplinary work, for instance, between environmental and ecology professionals and the ones from a planning and social sciences background. Participatory processes are also a challenge. Though most policymakers want it, the abundance and power of lobbies and limited resources and time, contributed to the ultimately tokenistic participation of citizen voices in greening projects. This is a reality common to urban policymakers also beyond Barcelona, where understaffed municipal governments are subject to financially persuasive interest groups aiming to capitalize on (green) urban transformations. The conversation left some wondering about how public space can be transformed without being captured by the market and private interests while meeting the needs of the local neighbors, the overall residents and the visitors.
Making research useful to policymakers
We then opened the floor to policymakers, activists, and other academics and asked them how we could strive towards making our research relevant to their daily work. While policymakers were grateful to us for improving their understanding of the processes, motivations, and consequences of green gentrification in Barcelona, they found the information difficult to act on. They were more interested in solutions. For instance, they demonstrated great interest in our Policy and Planning Toolkit Report for Urban Green Justice, in which we provided concrete examples of anti-gentrification, displacement and equitable greening policy tools applied in various cities.
Policymakers also said it was essential that researchers provide them with quantitative results expressed in a way that shows direct causation, which they can use as evidence to support the policies they are working on. For instance, an extract from our BCNUEJ FEMPUBLICBCN project reads: “During the pandemic, maintaining or increasing the use of green spaces was linked to a 50% higher probability of good general and mental health for women”. We also highlighted the importance of qualitative data, for instance from our research in the Old Town (Ciutat Vella) where families have shown increased lack of trust and loss of place attachment in the green spaces built around the area of Pou de La Figuera due to increased tourism and gentrification.
The urban researcher as facilitator
When it comes to navigating the complicated, siloed environments of government and the interaction between researchers, practitioners, and residents/activists, what is often missing is a good facilitator. Participants agreed that researchers can take on this essential role of moderating the conflicts that may arise from urban transformations. This can mean coordinating meetings between policymakers isolated in their own municipal departments and activists who may feel disempowered and delegitimized at community engagement sessions. Enabling a common recognition and understanding among different actors, favors the co-production of knowledge and policies without sacrificing independence and accuracy. While some researchers may consider taking on this role a burden, we consider it is an absolutely vital step in mobilizing knowledge for the radical transformation of urban practice.
From our experience, we can conclude that there are at least 3 practical must-do’s for researchers looking to put their research into practice. One is turning their knowledge into practical outputs (reports, but also short videos, storymaps, data visualization graphs) with tangible recommendations; the second is translating important findings into a powerful message that resonates with public administrations, activist movements and civil society; and the third is convening facilitated discussions and workshops among civic and public actors that can critically share their own perceptions, experiences, and struggles. As researchers, we must continue to reflect on the ways in which our work can be applied to reality.
This article was co-authored by BCNUEJ lab members Amalia Calderón-Argelich and Austin Gage-Matheney and edited by Ana Cañizares.
