Research programme: The urban Nexus of food, water, energy and the environment

These domains have in the past often been approached as individual, disconnected, sectors. This has led to unsustainable ways of provisioning and ineffective governance approaches. By understanding the urban Nexus, our analysis seeks to build new approaches and insights into achieving sustainable cities.

This project consists of three research objectives:

• To map and understand the interconnections and trade-offs in the provisioning of food, water and energy in urban areas;
• To analyse this urban nexus in relation to social and environmental vulnerabilities;
• To examine ways for urban governance to exploit synergies of the urban Nexus and to reconfigure the trade-offs, toward greater equity and resilience.

Specifically, this project consists of one post-doctoral research project focussed on resilience and vulnerability at the urban nexus run by Dr. Patience Mguni; and a PhD project by Moises Perez Coverrubias examining the intersection of social and material flows in the urban nexus.

For more information or for PhD opportunities on this topic, please contact Dr. Ingrid Boas.