Pineo Helen, Álvarez Rivadulla María José, Borde Elis, Caiaffa Waleska Teixeira, Dianati Vafa, Ellis Geraint, Fleischer Friederike, Hurtado Tarazona Adriana, Sarmiento Olga L, Martire Agustina, Montero Sergio, Moore Gemma, Morley Rebecca, Prasad Aarathi
Department of Urban Design and Planning, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98105, USA.
Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources, University College London, London, England, WC1H 0NN, UK.
Wellcome Open Res. 2024 Apr 24;9:218. doi: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.21180.1. eCollection 2024.
Health-focused research funders increasingly support multi-country research partnerships that study health, urban development and equity in global settings. To develop new knowledge that benefits society, these grants require researchers to integrate diverse knowledges and data, and to manage research-related aspects of coloniality, such as power imbalances and epistemic injustices. We conducted research to develop a transdisciplinary study proposal with partners in multiple middle and high income countries, aiming to embed equity into the methodology and funding model.
Parallel to literature review, we used participatory and social research methods to identify case study cities for our primary study and to inform our study design. We conducted semi-structured interviews with informed and consented sustainable urban development experts in the USA (n=23). We co-developed our research approach with our global advisory group (n=14) and conducted a participatory workshop (n=30) to identify case study sites, also informed by conversations with international academic experts in sustainable development (n=27).
Through literature review we found that there is a need to study the contextual pre-conditions of urban transformation, the influence of coloniality on understandings of how cities can change and the failure of standard development practices to meet the needs of all residents and the planet. Through expert input and literature we found that decolonial and storytelling methods may help us show the complexities behind stories of urban transformation, particularly the role of marginalized populations in creating long-term change.
There are multiple benefits of conducting research to develop an equitably designed multi-country research collaboration. We built new partnerships and co-developed our research approach, creating new understanding of diverse collaborators' disciplinary perspectives and institutional requirements. By investigating the informational needs of U.S. sustainable development actors and designing our study to meet these needs, we have increased the likelihood that our research will create impact.
关注健康的研究资助者越来越多地支持多国研究伙伴关系，这些伙伴关系在全球背景下研究健康、城市发展和公平问题。为了创造造福社会的新知识，这些资助要求研究人员整合不同的知识和数据，并管理与殖民性相关的研究方面，如权力不平衡和认知不公正。我们开展了一项研究，与多个中高收入国家的合作伙伴共同制定一项跨学科研究提案，旨在将公平融入方法和资助模式。
在进行文献综述的同时，我们使用参与式和社会研究方法来确定主要研究的案例城市，并为研究设计提供信息。我们对美国23名知情并同意参与的可持续城市发展专家进行了半结构化访谈。我们与全球咨询小组（14人）共同制定了研究方法，并举办了一次参与式研讨会（30人）以确定案例研究地点，与可持续发展领域的国际学术专家（27人）的对话也为研讨会提供了信息。
通过文献综述，我们发现有必要研究城市转型的背景前提条件、殖民性对理解城市如何变化的影响，以及标准发展实践未能满足所有居民和地球需求的问题。通过专家意见和文献，我们发现去殖民化和叙事方法可能有助于我们揭示城市转型故事背后的复杂性，特别是边缘化群体在创造长期变革中的作用。
开展研究以制定公平设计的多国研究合作有诸多益处。我们建立了新的伙伴关系并共同制定了研究方法，对不同合作者的学科观点和机构要求有了新的认识。通过调查美国可持续发展行为体的信息需求并设计研究以满足这些需求，我们增加了研究产生影响的可能性。
