Rethinking Governance
In a world where ecological issues extend beyond traditional political boundaries, it is imperative that we re-evaluate our approaches to governance and decision making. In this AISSR lecture, professor Davis explores the critical relationship between natural systems —such as water, air, heat, and topography— and the management of cities and territories. By transcending conventional political jurisdictions, she challenges the 19th-century assumptions of sovereignty that often hinder effective responses to 21st-century ecological challenges.
As we find ourselves in the Anthropocene—a geological epoch marked by human influence on the planet—our understanding of governance must adapt. In this lecture, Diane Davis tackles fundamental questions:
How can we navigate the complexities of urban environments while addressing ecological issues that know no borders? And how can we establish governance mechanisms that prioritize ecological well-being alongside human needs?
Aftertalk
The lecture will be followed by a conversation between Diane E. Davis and John Grin.
Drinks & networking afterwards in CREA Café.
About Diane E. Davis
Diane E. Davis is our AISSR Visiting Professor from October 9 until November 20. She is the Charles Dyer Norton Professor of Regional Planning and Urbanism at Harvard's Graduate School of Design (GSD). Additionally, she serves as the faculty chair of the committee on Mexico at the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard and is co-directing the Humanity’s Urban Future Program at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.
About John Grin
John Grin is professor of public policy and governance at the AISSR, in the Department of Political Science. He is working at the intersection of science and innovative practice and specialized in governance and politics of transitions, democratic experiments and new forms of democratic governance. Grin mostly works on urban experiments, energy neutrality and circularity in cities.