PLURALIZE is a 5-year research project funded by the EPSRC (originally awarded through the ERC) that aims to identify principles and practices of just transitions that can be applied in China. The project is led by Linda Westman, in collaboration with project manager Vicky Simpson and postdoctoral researchers Zhang Shizhi and Huang Zhengli – all based at the UI.
The project will progress into a phase of field work focused on just transitions in urban China. This will take place alongside analysis of the characteristics and global distribution of Chinese bilateral aid into urban areas around the world.
PLURALIZE is integrated into the UI thematical work surrounding climate urbanism, which examines how urban life is shaped by and intersects with climate change. The project also contributes to the diverse debates taking place within the Sheffield Urbanism initiative, including how to build a plurivsersal climate change agenda. These encounters centre on the question of how a Chinese perspective on development, infrastructure, and the environment shape the politics of urban life, in China and beyond.