Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LEARN-UCJ (Social Learning for Urban Climate Justice in Latin America)
Berichtszeitraum: 2024-09-01 bis 2026-08-31
Latin America is the most urbanized and unequal region in the world. It is also the second most disaster-prone region globally. Its vulnerability to floods, landslides, droughts, storms, sea level rise, and infectious diseases is rapidly increasing due to the climate crisis. “Social Learning for Urban Climate Justice in Latin America” (LEARN-UCJ 101150094) project aimed to unpack the potential of social learning for Urban Climate Justice in two representative Latin American cities, Bogota (Colombia) and Mexico City. (Mexico). The project was implemented between 01 September 2024 and 30 April 2025. To achieve its general objective, the project aimed—through a decolonial perspective—to identify Urban Climate Justice (UCJ) claims and collective actions, explore collaborations between political institutions and stakeholders, analyse the integration of climate justice into urban planning, and assess the role of social learning in advancing UCJ.
From a decolonial perspective, it qualitatively analyzed how diverse justice claims, collective actions, and collaborations among stakeholders could challenge technocratic and market-driven approaches to urban climate planning. LEARN-UCJ made important progress. The researcher, in collaboration with the JHU-UPF Public Policy Center, conducted qualitative data analysis (QDA) on secondary sources and designed interview and workshop protocols , they will be employed for supporting future fieldwork. These tools offer insights for empirical research in UCJ. Training activities were central to the project, including courses, weekly supervision meetings, and the participation in research seminars that promoted conceptual exchange. Preliminary findings were presented at the American Association of Geographers (AAG) 2025 and shared in an internal seminar at JHU-UPF PPC. A paper was also accepted to the 2nd International Congress of Ecological Humanities (ICEH).The project also supported the researcher’s career development, strengthening methodological and theoretical capacities and fostering long-term collaborations.
The results contribute to advancing the state of the art in urban planning by promoting a narrative shift from vulnerability to self-determined, justice-oriented adaptation, reinforcing the principles of climate justice. From this perspective, a decolonial lens informs the construction of alternative pathways grounded in local autonomy, solidarity, care, and human–nature interdependence.