In the face of accelerating climate crises, urban social movements are increasingly turning to care as both an ethical framework and a mobilizing force. This paper investigates how parent-led and intergenerational climate movements in London strategically leverage care to contest dominant urban governance paradigms, advocate for policy change, and reimagine more just and sustainable urban futures.

Drawing on findings from my recent study published in npj Climate Action (2024), this paper analyzes the rise of grassroots movements such as Parents for Future UK and Mums for Lungs, which foreground care—particularly parental responsibility and intergenerational justice—as key narratives in their campaigns. These movements engage in a politics of care that challenges technocratic, efficiency-driven climate governance by centering relational ethics, vulnerability, and collective wellbeing in their demands for systemic change.

Through qualitative analysis of activist practices, public campaigns, and engagement with local governance in London, the study demonstrates how care-based activism not only mobilizes public support but also exerts pressure on local authorities to implement policies promoting low-carbon urban mobility, clean air, and child-friendly public spaces. These movements exemplify how care ethics can be harnessed to advocate for transformative climate action and influence urban policy agendas.

By exploring the intersections of care, activism, and urban governance, this paper contributes to broader debates on community engagement, participatory democracy, and social justice in urban climate governance. It offers insights into the role of grassroots movements in shaping inclusive, care-centered urban policies aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG 11) and climate resilience goals.

This policy paper is an outcome of two pilot projects that focused on developing an inclusive approach to the political participation of underrepresented groups in Vienna. We have observed that Vienna’s ongoing participation discourse towards sustainable transformation tends to fall under the unequal consideration of the voices of people with migrant and refugee experiences and people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. These groups face challenges to participation, such as discrimination, language barriers, and housing instability. Therefore, their exclusion from decision-making processes perpetuates their marginalization and hampers the development of policies that should equally reflect the needs of all citizens. To tackle this exclusion, this paper suggests methods for creating safe and accessible political participation measures seen as crucial for social inclusion. Examples include participation in community centers, low-threshold mechanisms, and digital platforms that allow underrepresented groups to engage in political dialogue without stigma.

In the scope of the EU-funded project GEtCoheSive (2023-2026), our work focused on facilitating the political participation of the mentioned groups and providing policy recommendations to the city of Vienna regarding two topics: food provision and public space design. In carrying out two pilot projects, the main goal was to create alternative solutions to participatory processes that deem the inputs of all stakeholders equally important. We organized multiple participatory formats, such as workshops, focus groups, and public assemblies that included representatives of the mentioned groups, the city of Vienna, social workers, and academic researchers. In the first pilot, EQUIHOME, which focused on co-designing public spaces, we worked with currently and previously homeless people. In the second pilot, FOODCITIZENS, we worked with people with migrant and refugee experiences. The participation formats followed a flexible, informal, and open approach. To overcome language barriers, we provided a multilingual space with facilitation in five languages: English, Ukrainian, Arabic, Serbo-Croatian, and Romanian. Based on these pilots' successful implementation, this paper offers recommendations to foster inclusive political participation by suggesting co-creative citizen participation opportunities that enable underrepresented groups to contribute to urban policy-making. It emphasizes the importance of realistic process planning to overcome barriers by building relationships, trust, and sustained engagement.

Community-led regeneration is gaining momentum as a transformative approach to fostering more inclusive, sustainable, and caring cities. In contrast to top-down urban development strategies, this approach centers the knowledge and agency of residents in the revitalization of their own neighborhoods. As urban pressure reshape territories, the ability of local communities to participate meaningfully in regeneration processes is increasingly critical. Central to this participation is the use of co-creation tools that structure, support, and legitimize engagement in planning and implementation processes.

This paper examines the importance of such tools in supporting community-led regeneration, focusing on methodologies that strengthen collective decision-making and democratic governance. It draws on the example of Lisbon’s BIP/ZIP program—an urban instrument launched in 2011 to address socio-spatial inequalities in priority neighborhoods through participatory budgeting. By funding local partnerships involving civil society organizations, NGOs, and parish councils, BIP/ZIP operationalizes co-creation at the neighborhood scale. More than a financing mechanism, it provides a governance framework that values local knowledge and encourages long-term collaboration.

Beyond funding schemes, co-creation and co-governance tools—including participatory mapping, digital platforms, and regeneration toolkits—play a crucial role in capturing and mobilizing community-based knowledge. These instruments help communities document shared needs, negotiate priorities with institutional actors, and articulate their own visions for sustainable development. They also facilitate transparency, mutual learning, and accountability across stakeholders, making regeneration more resilient and adaptable in the face of tourism-related and urban pressures.

By critically reflecting on tool-supported practices, this paper argues that the efficacy of community-led regeneration is strongly mediated by the nature and design of the tools employed. When well-aligned with local capacities and aspirations, such tools foster inclusive engagement, empower residents, and contribute to the production of urban environments that are not only sustainable but also rooted in care and social justice. This contribution aims to enrich ongoing discussions on how caring for cities involves rethinking the governance infrastructures that underpin urban development.

Städtische Räume, die von jungen Menschen genutzt werden, stehen oft im Spannungsfeld zwischen Partizipation und Restriktion. Jugendliche Raumnutzung wird häufig als konfliktär wahrgenommen – als Orte, die nicht den gesellschaftlichen Erwartungen an Ordnung, Wirtschaftlichkeit und Sicherheit entsprechen. Oft liegen für Jugendliche bewusst konzipierte Räume an der Peripherie der Stadt, wo sie keinen “Ärger” machen und den Stadtalltag wie z.B. den Tourismus nicht stören. Gleichzeitig sind solche Räume essenziell für die soziale Teilhabe, psychische Gesundheit und Resilienz junger Menschen. Doch wie können Stadtplaner:innen, Gemeinschaften und junge Menschen gemeinsam inklusive und nachhaltige Stadträume gestalten?

Das transdisziplinäre Forschungsprojekt “Pandemic-resilient Spaces for Sustainable Cities - Urban Places for the Pandemic Resilience of Young People. A transformative research project” (Forschungsfeld: Zürich) untersucht, wie Jugend-Räume als Begegnungsorte, soziale Lernräume und resilienzfördernde Umgebungen fungieren und gefördert werden können. Durch partizipative Forschung mit Jugendlichen sowie Expert:innen aus Stadtentwicklung und der Sozialen Arbeit analysieren wir zentrale Faktoren für eine integrative und bedarfsgerechte Gestaltung urbaner (Jugend-)Räume sowie die Voraussetzungen für partizipative Planungsprozesse. Erste Ergebnisse zeigen, dass gebaute Räume oft starr sind und Jugend-Räume im Spannungsfeld zwischen Aneignung, Kontrolle und Marginalisierung stehen. Gleichzeitig fehlt es Jugendlichen häufig an Wissen und Möglichkeiten, aktiv an der Gestaltung ihrer Umwelt mitzuwirken.

In unserem Beitrag diskutieren wir die konzeptionellen Grundlagen und empirischen Erkenntnisse unseres Projekts. Wir zeigen auf, wie Jugend-Räume als integraler Bestandteil einer Stadt verstanden werden können und welche Strategien notwendig sind, um eine ganzheitliche Resilienz zu fördern. Dies umfasst sowohl physische als auch soziale Dimensionen von Stadt(T)räumen: von offenen Treffpunkten und kooperativen Planungsprozessen bis hin zu städtischen Infrastrukturen, die Jugendlichen ein selbstbestimmtes und sicheres Aufwachsen ermöglichen. Unser Ziel ist es, praktische Handlungsempfehlungen für eine nachhaltige, inklusive und resiliente Stadtgestaltung zu entwickeln, die Jugendliche mitbestimmen lässt und ihnen wie auch nachfolgenden Generationen langfristig zugutekommt.