The project involves three case study cities, each holding diverse stories about how the city shifted from dominant to sustainable and equitable urban development models. The cities are Belfast, Belo Horizonte and Bogotá. The case study cities were chosen using collaboratively produced selection criteria and a workshop.
The methodology for this study values local knowledge and ways of knowing. Working in partnerships, researcher teams use inclusive and participatory approaches to explore “change stories” in each case study city, including through community-based participatory research with citizen researchers.
Research in each city is led by local academics and community-based partners. In Belfast, Northern Ireland, the project is led at Queen’s University, with collaborator Participation and the Practice of Rights (PPR). In Belo Horizonte, Brazil, the research is led at Federal University of Minas Gerais Brazil and the Observatory for Urban Health, with community partners O Movimento de Luta nos Bairros, Vilas e Favelas (MLB) and Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra (MST). In Bogotá, Colombia, researchers at Universidad de los Andes, are collaborating with Consejo Consultivo de Mujeres (CCM).