Global Alliance on Sustainable Urban Societies

The Global Alliance on Sustainable Urban Societies is a pioneering initiative that places people at the heart of urban research and policymaking, established by five globally respected academic institutions, including the Department of Geography and Environment, LSE.

The other founding members include the Initiative on Cities, Boston University, Melbourne Centre for Cities, University of Melbourne, the School of Cities, University of Toronto, and the Urban Institute, Singapore Management University (SMU).

In an era of accelerating digital transformation, the Alliance embraces the fusion of critical social science with data science to offer fresh, actionable insights into urban life.

Formed around a shared vision of interdisciplinary and human-centred urban research, the Alliance aims to deepen understanding of how city dwellers sense, navigate and shape the urban environments they inhabit. This includes examination of the social and cultural norms, social networks and economic linkages – the “soft infrastructures” - that underpin resilient and sustainable cities.

By recognising people as sensors, enablers and actuators, the collaboration acknowledges the vital, multi-faceted role of residents in shaping sustainable urban societies.

The Alliance will collaborate through:

● Joint research initiatives and academic publications

● Co-hosted workshops and global conferences

● Faculty and student exchanges

● Responsible data-sharing protocols that uphold privacy and confidentiality

The initiative also speaks to the Building Sustainable Societies theme of the LSE Global School of Sustainability.

For more information, please contact LSE Lead, Prof Hyun Bang Shin (h.b.shin@lse.ac.uk).