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Urban Ecologies: governing nonhuman life in global cities

Objective

A fundamental dimension of planetary urbanization is its radical transformation of nature. Domestic animals now make up more than twice the biomass of humans on the planet. They are vital to livelihoods of the urban poor in the global south, providing economic opportunities, yet posing zoonotic risks. In contrast, cities of the north are marked by the paucity of animals and concomitant health concerns. Yet, urban ecologies – relations between people and animals, and their interactions with the built environment – have received scant systematic attention in the social sciences.

The objective of this project is to lay bare how regulating nonhuman life is fundamental to governing global cities. How are human-animal dynamics differentially composed in cities of the global south and north? What social, economic and spatial forces structure these dynamics? Most global cities regulate animal presence, albeit with varying degrees of success. How then might an expanded notion of urban governance incorporating ecology reorient urban studies? And finally, how might such an analysis help promote resilient and sustainable cities?

The project tackles these questions through a comparative analysis focused on New Delhi, Guwahati and London. Using a combination of conventional ethnographic research methods and innovative ecological perspectives, it will generate novel explanatory concepts for understanding urban ecologies and their implications for governing global cities.

This research is ground-breaking in four ways: 1) by addressing an uncharted but critical field of human action, it sheds new light on urban governance; 2) by integrating adjacent disciplines that seldom interact, it pushes the frontiers of urban studies; 3) by combining social and ecological perspectives, it adds to methodological innovation in the social sciences; 4) by accounting for how ecology shapes marginalized lives, it contributes to new agendas of making cities resilient for the urban poor.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

ERC-STG - Starting Grant

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) ERC-2017-STG

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Host institution

THE CHANCELLOR MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 210 513,81
Address
TRINITY LANE THE OLD SCHOOLS
CB2 1TN CAMBRIDGE
United Kingdom

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Region
East of England East Anglia Cambridgeshire CC
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 1 210 513,81

Beneficiaries (2)

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