Julian Agyeman
@julianagyeman.bsky.social
Critical urban planning professor @ Tufts UEP. From Yorkshire UK, now living in Cambridge MA. Dad of English choccy Lab, Oso. Desperately seeking #justsustainabilities. Editor-in-Chief of Local Environment. Website: julianagyeman.com .. more
Critical urban planning professor @ Tufts UEP. From Yorkshire UK, now living in Cambridge MA. Dad of English choccy Lab, Oso. Desperately seeking #justsustainabilities. Editor-in-Chief of Local Environment. Website: julianagyeman.com
Julian K. Agyeman is a professor of Urban & Environmental Policy & Planning and Fletcher Professor of Rhetoric and Debate at Tufts University. He is a co-founder and the editor-in-chief of the journal Local Environment. During his career, Agyeman has developed the concept of just sustainabilities, defined as "the need to ensure a better quality of life for all, now, and into the future, in a just and equitable manner, whilst living within the limits of supporting ecosystems." .. more
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Julian Agyeman
@julianagyeman.bsky.social
· Jan 23
"Our greatest challenges are not scientific or technological; they are deeper than that—they are spiritual and cultural. Imagine shaping cities as if peoples, lands, and natures were sacred." Open Access. www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-edi....
Tufts UEP 2025 Video.mp4 | Powered by Box
tufts.box.com
This is why I’ve dedicated 27 years of my life (and counting) to this fantastic community of scholars, activists, practitioners, dreamers and doers.. tufts.box.com/s/j2cj6mddx6...
Atlanta’s city-run grocery sees early success, sparking debate over government’s role
Mayor Andre Dickens says Azalea Fresh Market has served over 20,000 customers in two months, proving strong demand for fresh food options in underserved neighborhoods.
www.foxnews.com
Wow! I guess this is as close as Fox gets to acknowledging the huge potential in city owned grocery stores to alleviate hunger. They do mischievously however say 'city run' which is not true! www.foxnews.com/politics/atl...
Plural commons: translation as a relational practice
The widespread use of the English term commons, rooted in British history, often obscures the diverse ways in which collective life, stewardship, and organising are practiced across different cultu...
www.tandfonline.com
By tracing key vocabularies of commoning across diverse contexts, the paper develops a plural understanding of the commons and proposes a tentative framework for connecting different practices without reducing their plurality. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The ‘Black Forager’ Nibbles the Campus
Alexis Nikole Nelson, known as the “Black Forager” on social media, visited Tufts to share advice for safely eating foods found in the wild.
now.tufts.edu
'The Black Forager' posts about finding/cooking wild plants, mushrooms, and seaweed while sharing the historical connection foraging has to African American and Indigenous food traditions. She has 5M followers, and a 2022 James Beard Award for best social media account. now.tufts.edu/2025/11/04/b...
America’s super-rich are running down the planet’s safe climate spaces, says Oxfam
Data shows wealthiest 0.1% of the US burn carbon at 4,000 times the rate of the world’s poorest 10%
www.theguardian.com
The ‘great carbon divide’ has grown over the past 30 years. Since 1990, the share of emissions of the richest 0.1% has increased by 32%, while the share of the poorest 50% has fallen by 3%. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Join Cities@Tufts as we welcome Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani on Wednesday, 10/29 at noon ET! www.eventbrite.com/e/the-cities...
National Geographic names Hull one of the top 25 places to visit in the world — The Hull Story
By Rick Lyon , Co-Editor Hull has been named one of the Top 25 global destinations to visit in 2026 by National Geographic , in its prestigious Best of the World list. The city joins an elit...
www.thehullstory.com
From Hull, Hell and Halifax, and being top of The Guardian’s ‘Crap Map’ to Hull-oh! Great to see my home city being appreciated instead of constantly maligned 😎 www.thehullstory.com/allarticles/...
Oral History of the Environmental Movement
www.royalholloway.ac.uk
Proud to have had a role in this Oral History of the Environmental Movement in the UK: 1970 – 2020, with interviews of 100 carefully selected people involved in protests, policies and practical action since the early 1970s www.royalholloway.ac.uk/research-and...
Publicly owned grocery stores could be Boston’s answer to food insecurity - The Boston Globe
City-owned grocery stores prioritize benefits to local communities over corporate profit, enabling lower prices.
www.bostonglobe.com
My students’ and my Opinion piece in today’s Boston Globe. As post Covid food insecurity is deepened by changes to SNAP, around 40,000 Bostonians will face more challenges. It’s time for cities to get creative. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/21/o...
The colour of unaffordable household water: racial/ethnic inequalities in bills and shutoffs across local water districts in nine urban areas of the United States
The rapidly rising cost of household water bills is an increasing financial burden and health concern for low-income households in the United States, a nation that offers neither a constitutional r...
www.tandfonline.com
We offer recommendations for how municipalities may improve practices and reduce racial/ethnic inequalities in access to affordable water. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Julian Agyeman
@julianagyeman.bsky.social
· Oct 11
Boston’s Food Forests Take Root as a Climate Equity Strategy - Inside Climate News
A decade of organizing has turned trash-strewn lots into edible parks. Now Boston is expanding food forests as part of its climate action plan.
insideclimatenews.org
From Mattapan to the North End, BFFC has opened 13 food forests, with the aim of 30 by 2030—a target shared by the Boston as part of its 2030 Climate Action Plan. More than 525 fruit trees/shrubs, with apples and cherries, alongside pawpaws and serviceberries. insideclimatenews.org/news/0310202...
Could government-owned grocery stores be coming to Boston?
Two Boston City Councilors are proposing a hearing to consider publicly owned grocery stores in Boston.
www.cbsnews.com
Publicly-owned grocery stores can be structured to prioritize community benefit over profit, enabling lower prices, better food access, and stronger local sourcing, and may operate independently or in partnership with non-profits, cooperatives, or private operators. www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/...
Just got the beautiful cover design of @alisonhopealkon.bsky.social and my companion to our 2011 'Cultivating Food Justice' published by @mitpress.bsky.social It's due out in February next year. Mark your calendars!
Co-Production of Knowledge in Action: Emancipatory Strategies for Urban Equality
This open-access book examines the emancipatory potential of knowledge co-production for more equal cities, drawing on experiences from Africa, Asia and Latin America. Published by UCL Press.
www.ucl.ac.uk
Co-production has limits, and can serve to reproduce power structures if emptied of its political, transformatory intent, but we must understand its emancipatory potential as an incremental strategy that has the power to transform urban planning practices. www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/pub...
Julian Agyeman
@julianagyeman.bsky.social
· Sep 30
Food sharing governance in European cities: insights from a scoping review
Food sharing initiatives (FSI) are rapidly growing in urban areas and present new opportunities to shape more sustainable urban food systems through collaborative efforts. These initiatives operate...
www.tandfonline.com
This article offers a new framework to classify internal and external food sharing governance elements into 8 categories: structural factors, regulation, resources, discourses, relations between social actors, participation, knowledge, and internal organisation. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Julian Agyeman
@julianagyeman.bsky.social
· Sep 29
Public Restrooms: The Hidden Infrastructure of Civic Trust
Want to know if a city is thriving? Start with a bathroom break.
www.planetizen.com
Cities across the US are prioritizing investments in revitalization/walkability/placemaking. What about public restrooms? If they are well-managed/usable, it signals to visitors and residents alike that the surrounding area is safe/dignified and regularly cared for www.planetizen.com/features/136...
Julian Agyeman
@julianagyeman.bsky.social
· Sep 28
Legacies of a “great simple country” forest transitions, urban greening, and the fallacy of trees as a tool of democratisation
This paper examines the evolving values attributed to trees and green spaces in northeastern U.S. cities. Historically framed as antagonists in land use change, cities are sites of forest histories...
www.tandfonline.com
Forest transitions are not only ecological but cultural and political processes that negotiate power, identity, and belonging. Urban forest initiatives should prioritise community agency/equity, challenge exclusionary legacies and advance more inclusive frameworks www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Julian Agyeman
@julianagyeman.bsky.social
· Sep 25
On belonging and becoming in the settler-colonial city: Co-produced futurities, placemaking, and urban planning in the United States
With a few notable exceptions, settler-colonial theory has not been applied to the study of U.S. cities and urban planning. Settler-colonial theory is a relatively new field of scholarship that int...
www.tandfonline.com
We turn to the theory and practice of co-production as one possible intervention into how the relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous placemakers could be conceived and enacted in the urban environment. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Julian Agyeman
@julianagyeman.bsky.social
· Sep 13
Everything about climate change is disproportionate: Principles for spatial justice in urban climate action
The figure illustrates the eight principles for spatial justice in urban climate action proposed in the paper: 1) Account for cumulative effects; 2) Go beyond simplistic demographics; 3) Connect to c...
rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Spatial processes play a critical role in creating/shaping/perpetuating inequalities/oppression. We advocate for spatial justice in climate action and offer 8 principles to support a critical perspective on climate change in urban contexts rgs-ibg.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1...
Reposted by Prakash Kashwan
Julian Agyeman
@julianagyeman.bsky.social
· Sep 12
Energy equity, transitions, and futures: Photovoice insights from Latinx community members in Boston
Energy equity remains a pressing issue in urban areas, particularly for marginalized communities like Boston's Latinx population. This study examines …
www.sciencedirect.com
Unequal access to renewables, disparate light distribution, and poorly-maintained infrastructure were key concerns. Fears about safety, unreliable energy infrastructure, and risks like fires shaped participants' visions for the future. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Julian Agyeman
@julianagyeman.bsky.social
· Aug 28
My 27th Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning (UEP) student Orientation! 70 1st year students aiming to become "Practical Visionaries" - people who dream big, but have their feet firmly on the ground. When I started, we had 1, now we have 4 degrees and we have double the intake!
Julian Agyeman
@julianagyeman.bsky.social
· Aug 28
Take a look at our fantastic Cities@Tufts fall 2025 Virtual Colloquium lineup! First up on September 24, 12-1 Eastern via Zoom, is Dr Monica White (UW Madison). Check back for sign up details for all events.
Julian Agyeman
@julianagyeman.bsky.social
· Aug 28
Indigenous rights and managed public land: a critical treaty analysis of parks and reserves in New Zealand
This research critically examines the extent to which the Reserves Act 1977, the primary legislative framework governing many parks and reserves, especially those associated with territorial local ...
www.tandfonline.com
Our research underscores the potential for parks and reserves to serve as sites of cultural and environmental restoration, enacting ahi kā and reinforcing the vital connection between Māori identity and whenua (land). www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Julian Agyeman
@julianagyeman.bsky.social
· Aug 12
Urban trees vs. cool roofs: What’s the best way for cities to beat the heat?
Cities are seeking low-cost ways to ease the heat island effect. Researchers found benefits and trade-offs in two popular options, but they vary by city and even neighborhood.
theconversation.com
Planting trees can cool the air 35% more than installing cool roofs in places where trees can actually be planted. But many of the best places for new trees in Boston aren’t in the neighborhoods that need help. In these neighborhoods, reflective roofs were better. theconversation.com/urban-trees-...
Julian Agyeman
@julianagyeman.bsky.social
· Aug 12
Inside an urban heat island, one street can be much hotter than its neighbor – new tech makes it easier to target cooling projects
New technologies are making it easier to find these urban heat islets, opening the door to new strategies for efficiently improving community health.
theconversation.com
Two Boston streets at 4:30 p.m. recently: Lewis Place, 94 F, Dudley Common, 103 F. Both streets were hot, close together, but the temp on one was far more dangerous to health/well-being. These are islets in the urban heat island. What strategies should we adopt? theconversation.com/inside-an-ur...
Julian Agyeman
@julianagyeman.bsky.social
· Aug 12
The new NextGen Acela trains promise faster travel and more seats – but arrive as US rail faces an uncertain future
The French-designed, American-manufactured NextGen arrives years late and in a moment when federally sponsored trains are fighting for their lives.
theconversation.com
Gone is Amtrak’s railfan-in-chief Biden but NextGen Acela promises an American rail renaissance in a moment when federally sponsored trains are fighting for their lives, as Biden’s infrastructure ambitions have fallen to an administration bent on cutting costs. theconversation.com/the-new-next...
Julian Agyeman
@julianagyeman.bsky.social
· Aug 12
From the “just transition” to the “trust transition”: rethinking justice in community energy projects
While there has been much interest in community energy (CE) within policy and academia, political interest and support have fluctuated in most European countries, depending on the political orienta...
www.tandfonline.com
This paper identifies “informational justice” as a fourth tenet of Environmental Justice, distinct from distributional, procedural and recognitional forms of justice. It identifies trusted information as foundational although under-acknowledged in the literature. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Julian Agyeman
@julianagyeman.bsky.social
· Aug 12
Analysis: England’s most ethnically diverse areas are 15 times more likely to face extreme heat - Carbon Brief
Neighbourhoods in England that are home to the most minority-ethnic people are 15 times more likely to face extreme heat than the least diverse areas
www.carbonbrief.org
There is a clear correlation between the number of people of colour living in a neighbourhood and the likelihood of it facing extreme heat during periods of hot weather. This is why the UK government, UK cities should adopt a climate justice-based policy approach. www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-eng...
Disgust: The Unexpected Psychological Reason Why Some People Dislike Density
Op-ed: New research suggests that people with higher disgust sensitivity find higher densities less appealing. What does that mean for urban planners?
nextcity.org
The results show that, for the highest density images shown to participants, there was a statistically significant negative relationship with disgust. This means that people with higher disgust sensitivity found the highest density images significantly less appealing.
nextcity.org/urbanist-new...
nextcity.org/urbanist-new...
Boston's Climate Action Plan
We are committed to shaping a vibrant, sustainable, and equitable future for Boston. We're currently taking steps to address climate change by both reducing carbon pollution and strengthening our resi...
www.boston.gov
Boston’s 2030 Climate Action Plan (CAP) draft is now live. It includes a preliminary list of high-impact climate action strategies and the draft Climate Justice Framework. The next draft - with metrics, partnerships, and implementation pathways - is due Fall 2025. www.boston.gov/departments/...