Co-production of knowledge–action systems in urban sustainable governance: The KASA approach

• Published in: Environmental science & policy Vol. 37; pp. 182 - 191
• Main Author: Muñoz-Erickson, Tischa A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Boundary work; Co-production; Environment and sustainable development; Epistemic cultures; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Future visions; Knowledge–action systems; Science–policy interface; Social networks; Sustainability; Tropical city; Urban governance; Science–policy interface; Tropical city; Epistemic cultures; Sustainability; Urban governance; Social networks; Future visions; Co-production; Knowledge–action systems; Boundary work; Policy; Urban environment; Epistemology; Tropical zone; Social network; System sustainability; Urban area; Governance; Knowledge; Sustainable development; Knowledge-action systems; Sciences; Vision; Science-policy interface; Interface
• ISSN: 1462-9011; 1873-6416
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2013.09.014

•This paper uses the framework of the co-production of knowledge and social order to examine how knowledge–action systems work in the context of urban sustainable governance.•The paper presents and applies the knowledge–action systems analysis (KASA) approach to operationalize dynamics of co-production.•Existing institutional configurations and dynamics shape how knowledge is produced and used in policy-making.•Sustainability involves managing networks, politics of knowledge, and diverse social visions.•KASA can be used as a foundation to design new knowledge systems or joint-knowledge production efforts. This paper examines how knowledge–action systems – the networks of actors involved in the production, sharing and use of policy-relevant knowledge – work in the process of developing sustainable strategies for cities. I developed an interdisciplinary framework – the knowledge–action system analysis (KASA) framework – that integrates concepts of the co-production of knowledge and social order with social network analysis tools to analyze existing configurations of knowledge–action systems in the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and how these are shaping both what we know and how we envision the future of cities. I applied KASA in the context of land use and green area governance and found that a diverse network of actors are contributing diverse knowledge types, thus showing potential for innovation in governance. This potential is conditioned, however, by various political and cultural factors, such as: (1) actors dominating knowledge about land use are the same ones that control urban land resources, (2) conventional planning expertise and procedures dominate over other alternative ways of knowing; (3) multiple visions and boundary arrangements co-exist in the city, and (4) boundary spanning opportunities limited by assumptions that knowledge and action should be done in distinct spheres of city planning. This study shows that developing adaptive and innovative capacities for sustainability is not solely a matter of harnessing more science, but about managing the politics of knowledge and visions that emerge from complex governance systems.