Back and forward to the future: an explorative study of public responses to urban groundwater contamination

The objective of this case study is to explore responses by residents confronted with groundwater contamination in their community. Using a mail-survey design, self-administered questionnaires were collected (N = 170) that included questions about risk perceptions, site-specific concerns and perceived neighbourhood problems. The results show that concerns about chemical risks (i.e. chlorinated solvents) are rather limited in comparison to the potential impacts of site-redevelopment and other neighbourhood problems. Accordingly, the results of logistic regression analyses indicate that place detachment is not significantly related to risk perception but rather to site-specific concerns such as a perceived decrease in property values on the one hand, and wider environmental stressors such as traffic congestion on the other. In turn, the latter chronic environmental conditions are closely intertwined with residents' views on the redevelopment of the contaminated site

Co-producing sustainability indicators for the port of Antwerp: how sustainability reporting creates new discursive spaces for concern and mobilisation

In this article we discuss the port of Antwerp’s sustainability reporting initiative, reporting on the joint performance of the harbour community, as a process of co-production. By means of ‘stakeholder elicitation’ and in interaction with the port’s sustainability reporting initiative we investigated potentially meaningful indicators (mainly qualitative in nature) for environmental nuisance and citizen participation as aspects of responsible care. Reflecting on this work, we argue that such initiatives not only produce new sustainability indicators and standards, but also encourage dialogue through which identities are formed and a sense of (port) community is established

Civil anarchizing for the common good : culturally patterned politics of legitimacy in the climate justice movement

This article presents an ethnographic study of the case of Ende Gelände (EG), a German civil disobedience network undertaking action for climate justice. We reveal how a politics of legitimacy in civil society organizations such as EG are structured and constructed through different styles of civic action. Specifically, in our case study, a dominant pattern of ‘civil anarchizing’ (CA) emerged, in which legitimacy was continuously negotiated in relation to both external and internal stakeholders. This CA style was also accompanied by a more individual-centered style that we call personalized politics (PP). We compare both styles and describe the tensions that result from their co-occurrence. In addition, we argue that the CA style might be more viable for politicization due to its emphasis on a collective strategy. Finally, we describe how this CA style shaped the participants’ politics of legitimacy by functioning as a negotiated hybrid of civil and uncivil expectations

Co-producing sustainability indicators for the port of Antwerp: how sustainability reporting creates new discursive spaces for concern and mobilisation

In this article we discuss the port of Antwerp’s sustainability reporting initiative, reporting on the joint performance of the harbour community, as a process of co-production. By means of ‘stakeholder elicitation’ and in interaction with the port’s sustainability reporting initiative we investigated potentially meaningful indicators (mainly qualitative in nature) for environmental nuisance and citizen participation as aspects of responsible care. Reflecting on this work, we argue that such initiatives not only produce new sustainability indicators and standards, but also encourage dialogue through which identities are formed and a sense of (port) community is established

Crowding-in and crowding-out: studying the relationship between sustainable citizenship and political activism in Flanders

This study examines whether pro-environmental behavior crowds-in (associates positively with) or crowds-out (displaces) political activism. This research is part of a broader debate on the nature of individual pro-environmental behavior and whether it can be considered a political act. Studies generally show a positive association between pro-environmental behavior and political activism. However, few have differentiated between types of pro-environmental behavior. In contrast, our study uses Flemish survey data to examine the relationship between political activism and different modes of pro-environmental behavior: sustainable transport, shopping decisions, energy curtailment, and waste sorting. The results are generally consistent with previous studies. Political activism was positively related to sustainable transport, shopping decisions, and waste sorting. However, it was negatively associated with energy curtailment. Results thus suggest that energy curtailment may displace political action. In conclusion, by differentiating between various modes of pro-environmental behavior, our study confirms but also nuances the usefulness of concepts such as sustainable citizenship. These notions often frame individual pro-environmental behavior as part of broader political and collective strategies to address environmental issues. Our study shows that this may exclude some forms of ecologically significant behavior such as energy curtailment