Climate Change and the Future of Seattle

Description

Seattle is one of the most politically progressive and economically dynamic cities in the contemporary United States. This book explores Seattle’s current climate policy agenda and future climate challenges within the context of its historical, bio-regional, and metropolitan settings. While practitioners and academics have lauded Seattle’s urban sustainability and climate action efforts for many years, the analysis here focuses especially on mounting political concerns with social equity, income polarization, and racial justice in a “high-tech” city-region already experiencing the deleterious effects of global climate change. Drawing on a framework first suggested by the Urban Climate Change Research Network, the discussion considers major research themes like mitigation and adaptation policies; Seattle’s regional, national and international participation in climate action networks; disaster risk reduction and risk assessment; and the impacts of climate change and climate policy formation on the city’s most disadvantaged populations. Climate Change and the Future of Seattle will, therefore, be of wider interest to scholars and students at all levels in urban planning, human geography, political science, urban studies, public administration, and sustainability studies.  Cover Front Matter Half-Title Series page Frontier page Title page Copyright information Contents Illustrations Abbreviations Chapter 1-5 Chapter 1 Introduction: Changing Seattle The Urban Climate Change Research Network and the Second Assessment Report for Climate Change and Cities Framework Assessing Seattle’s Climate Traits Relationally within the ARC3.2 Framework Emerald Policies, Elite Pressures: Mapping “Urban Transformation” in Seattle Plan for the Book Chapter 2 Background: Seattle’s Green Development Story Origins, Development Patterns, and Contemporary Demographics Review of the Political and Governance System Seattle’s Main Climate Change Challenges and Primary Infrastructural Risks Conclusion Chapter 3 Current Situation: Building a “Climate-Friendly” City in an Unsustainable World Green Shoots: From “Environmental Conservation” to “Urban Sustainability” The “Carbon Turn”: From Urban Sustainability to Global Climate Action Toward a Sustainable Seattle: A plan for managing growth, 1994–2014 The Twenty-First Century Evolution of Planning Justly for Climate Change The 2006 climate action plan: Meeting Kyoto’s challenge through carbon mitigation The 2013 climate action plan: Adapting with just resiliency Preparing for a Changing Climate: Institutional Responses Seattle-in-Networks: Trans-Local Climate Advocacy The Mayors Climate Protection Agreement: Redressing federal inaction Seattle’s transnational climate participation Green city-regionalism: KC4 between city and suburb Conclusion Chapter 4 The Future: Climate Change, Social Vulnerabilities, and the Transformational Agenda The Next Hundred Years: Twenty-First Century Climate Change in Seattle Socio-Spatial Vulnerabilities: People, Institutions, Water Seattle Public Utilities: Mitigating vulnerabilities, adapting creatively? Assessing the Probability of Urban Transformation Integrating mitigation with adaptation Coordinating disaster risk reduction with climate change adaptation Cogenerating risk information Advancing networks Focusing on disadvantaged populations Conclusion Chapter 5 Conclusion: Seattle’s Lessons End Matter References Index