Urban sustainability: a spatial justice critique

Abstract

This article provides a spatial justice critique of the urban sustainability agenda. Reflecting on the apparent growing discontent against urban sustainability policies, we argue that this backlash can partly be traced to how this agenda has favoured city centres and overlooked spatial dynamics and injustices that fuel core–periphery polarisation. The urban sustainability agenda tends towards ‘urban triumphalism’, while framing suburban areas and spaces as inherently problematic. We propose to widen the geographical scope of the urban sustainability agenda, and discuss policy directions that may contribute to this, with the view to achieving greater legitimacy, more inclusivity and value pluralism.