Contribution short abstract

As urban political ecology analyses remain largely qualitative, we present a quantitative approach to analyse material flows from infrastructural landscapes to agglomerated urban areas that may help locate the infrastructural landscapes where environmental burdens are externalised.

Contribution long abstract

Urban political ecology has highlighted the fundamental dependence of agglomerated urban areas on the continuous flow of materials and energy from infrastructral landscapes to construction sites. As a result, relevant qualitative case study investigations on construction materials such as cement, concrete, wood or steel, as well as on water, food and energy supply chains, have portrayed material and power conflicts along such flows. Yet, the study of urban metabolism from an urban political perspective remains remains largely qualitative. To expand such research focus into geospatial science, this presentation aims to render the first insights from the application of industrial ecology methods, namely trade-linked material flow analysis, to the study of urban metabolism’s flows beyond cities. To do so, it will present the results of ongoing research on the demand and supply of wood for construction in Germany, including the location of the wood outsourced for construction within the global supply of timber into Germany, as well as the location of the infrastructural landscapes that, indeed, outsource the environmental burdens of timber production outside Germany.

De Castro Mazarro, Alejandro; Joshi, Neelakshi; Samartzidis, Lasare (2024) Disrupting comfort: From low-carbon to low-impact cities. In: Spatial Research and Planning 82:4https://doi.org/10.14512rur.2567

De Castro Mazarro, Alejandro; George Kaliaden, Ritu; Wende, Wolfgang; Egermann, Markus (2023) Beyond urban ecomodernism: How can degrowth-aligned spatial practices enhance urban sustainability transformations. In: Urban Studies 60:7. https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980221148107

Heynen, Nik; Kaika, Maria; Swyngedouw, Erik (2006) In the Nature of Cities: Urban Political Ecology and the Politics of Urban Metabolism. Taylor & Francis