www.buildingsandcities.org/insights/news/cop26-expectations.html
COP26 Expectations
Read this vital series of essays providing multiple perspectives on expected and needed outcomes from COP26.
For COP26, Buildings & Cities presents this major series of 30 short, learned commentaries from the built environment community that are primarily aimed at policy makers. These essays reveal the diversity of issues that need to be embraced and, most importantly, point to constructive approaches to mitigation and adaptation.
The range of topics goes from overarching issues (e.g. overconsumption, geopolitics, intergenerational equity, climate justice, nature-based solutions and long-term thinking - to mention only a few) to more specific issues at the levels of cities and buildings. Lessons and actions can be drawn for different actors in central and local governments, the construction industry supply side, NGOs, higher education and civil society.
Each essay focuses and discusses one vital outcome that is needed from COP26 relating to the built environment. This can be a direct aspect of what should be agreed at COP26 or the impact of COP26 at the national or local levels. A variety of perspectives are presented - from different disciplines, geographies and scales. Taken together, this provides a powerful overview of overarching policy issues and the necessary strategic / practical actions at the societal, urban and building levels.
Were the needs and demands of cities and local governments marginalised in their roles and representation at COP26?
By Harpa Birgisdóttir (Aalborg University Copenhagen, DK)
By Sonja Klinsky (Arizona State University, US) and Anna Mavrogianni (University College London, UK)
By Timon McPhearson (The New School, US)
By Linda K. Westman (University of Sheffield, UK)
By Jason Corburn (University of California, Berkeley, US)
By Thomas Lützkendorf (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, DE), Ursula Hartenberger (PathTo2050, BE), York Ostermeyer (Chalmers U, SE)
By Ellen van Bueren (Delft University of Technology, NL)
By Rohinton Emmanuel (Glasgow Caledonian University, UK)
By Michael Donn (Victoria University Wellington, NZ)
By Christhina Candido, Rebecca Bentley and Samin Marzban (U Melbourne, AU)
By Jonathon Taylor (Tampere U, FI), Lauren Ferguson* , Anna Mavrogianni* & Clare Heaviside* (*University College London, UK)
By Ankit Kumar (U of Sheffield, UK), Joshua Kirshner (U of York, UK), Lata Narayanaswamy (U of Leeds, UK) and Enora Robin (U of Sheffield, UK)
By Wei Yang and Jie Li (Tianjin University, CN)
By Clare Heaviside (University College London - UCL), Jonathon Taylor (UCL & Tampere U), Oscar Brousse (UCL), Charles Simpson (UCL)
By Sarah J. Darby (Oxford University, UK)
By William E. Rees (Professor Emeritus, University of British Columbia, CA)
By Stefan Siedentop (ILS - Research Institute for Regional and Urban Development & TU Dortmund University, DE)
By Maria Balouktsi (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, DE)
By Robin Nicholson CBE (Cullinan Studio and The Edge, UK)
By Raymond J. Cole (University of British Columbia, CA)
By Thomas Lützkendorf (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, DE)
By Magdalena Barborska-Narozny (Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, PL)
By Mark Levine (Senior Advisor, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, US)
By Jeroen van der Heijden (Victoria University of Wellington, NZ and Australian National University, AU)
By Bruno Peuportier (MINES ParisTech, PSL Research University, FR)
Latest Commentaries
The Search for Urban Recovery in Lebanon
Lebanon’s history has been shaped by recurrent cycles of war, disaster, and economic collapse, with each episode leaving enduring imprints on the country’s urban and social fabric. Howayda al-Harithy (American University of Beirut) critically examines Lebanon’s historical cycles of destruction and reconstruction. Recovery involves more than rebuilding buildings; it requires a framework that is people-centered, heritage-led and place-specific together with an emphasis on restoring social relations, cultural identity, community agency while addressing structural inequalities.
Rebuilding Energy Infrastructure after War
Marco Nicola Binetti (University of Bremen) argues that energy reconstruction should be understood as a core pillar of post-conflict recovery rather than a narrowly technical undertaking. Restoring electricity and fuel supplies enables essential services, supports economic growth, strengthens state legitimacy, and reduces the likelihood of renewed violence. However, successful reconstruction requires overcoming substantial financial, logistical, institutional, and political obstacles. Reconstruction strategies must also adapt to emerging threats and vulnerabilities created by modern warfare.