3/30 Wednesday Sessions

Applied Sustainability Science: An Open Paradigm for Applied Geographers

Wednesday, 3/30/2016, from 8:00 AM - 9:40 AM in Metropolitan A, JW Marriott Hotel, 2nd Floor

8:00 AM Author(s): *Siqi Song, B.E; B.Sc - National University Of Singapore

Mi Diao, PhD - National University of Singapore

Chen-Chieh Feng, PhD - National University of Singapore

Abstract Title: Individual Transport Emissions and the Built Environment: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach

8:20 AM Author(s): *Elena Lioubimtseva - Grand Valley State University

Abstract Title: Assessment of Human Vulnerability to Climate Change in the West Michigan Region

8:40 AM Author(s): *Richard Ross Shaker, Ph.D. - Ryerson University

Abstract Title: The Spatial Distribution of Development in Europe and its Underlying Sustainability Correlations

9:00 AM Author(s): *Greg Rybarczyk - University of Michigan-Flint

Abstract Title: Spatiality and food access: Measuring geographic access to ethnic restaurants and grocers

9:20 AM Author(s): *Manish A. Desai - University of California, Berkeley

Jamesine V. Rogers - University of California, Berkeley

Kirk R. Smith - University of California, Berkeley

Abstract Title: Operationalizing Climate Debt with a Straightforward and Transparent Metric

Session Description: "Making progress towards sustainability is like going to a destination we have never visited before, equipped with a sense of geography and the principles of navigation, but without a map or compass" (Hales and Prescott 2002:6). Sustainable development focuses on two key concepts: 1) providing essential needs to the world's poor through overriding priority; and 2) that technology and social organization has limits to the environment's ability to meet humanity's present and future needs. In general, the term "sustainability" should be viewed as humanity's target goal of human-ecosystem equilibrium (homeostasis), while "sustainable development" refers to the holistic approach and temporal processes that lead us to the end point of sustainability. Geography is positioned to be a leader in the focused field of applied sustainability science. Sustainability science, studied by a diverse group of disciplines, has traditionally focused on understanding the complex dynamics that arise from the interactions between humans and environmental systems. Although sustainability is widely accepted as a goal for humanity, there remains no agreed upon strategy to achieve it. Further, it has been supported by several that there will remain a need to operationalize theory into applied practice until global sustainability is reached. Since geography is devoted to developing and utilizing approaches to resolve human problems that have a spatial dimension- and it has set out to understand relevant societal, physical, and coupled human-environmental systems- it is a keystone for progressing applied sustainability science. In this session, the concepts of space and scale are unifying ground where scientists and practitioners can collaborate in producing shared knowledge for enhancing applied sustainability science. Possible topics for this session include: indicators, climate change, sustainable urbanization, co-evolution, population growth, globalization, urban ecology, resilience, GIScience, spatial analysis, scale, spatial ecology, data, land use, and technology.

Oil and Citizenship: Rights, Identity, and Environment in North and South America

Wednesday, 3/30/2016, from 10:00 AM - 11:40 AM in Union Square 2, Hilton Hotel, 4th Floor

10:00 AM Author(s): *Néstor Leonardo Silva - Stanford University

Abstract Title: Using Capital: The Oil Industry, Labor, and the Environment in the Colombian Llanos

10:20 AM Author(s): *Flora Lu - UC Santa Cruz

Abstract Title: "Ni tienen cédula": Peoples in Voluntary Isolation, Citizenship, and Contested Land Use in Ecuadorian Amazonia

10:40 AM Author(s): *Angus Lyall - UNC-Chapel Hill

Abstract Title: Political Infrastructures: Articulations of State Power, Urbanization, and Patriarchy on the Ecuadorian Oil Frontier

11:00 AM Author(s): Flora Lu, PhD - UC Santa Cruz

*Sherine Ebadi -

Abstract Title: Refined Reflections: Latino Experiences of Environmental Injustice in North Richmond, CA

11:20 AM Author(s): Gabriela Valdivia - Geography Department, UNC Chapel Hill

*Gabriela Valdivia - University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Abstract Title: Refining oil-democracy: Territories of petro-citizenship and The Revolucion Ciudadana in Esmeraldas, Ecuador

Session Description: Across the globe, oil money (e.g., oil rents and benefits agreements) and oil materiality (e.g., refineries, public works, and contamination) merge with local spaces and institutions, reconfiguring how regimes of community life unfold. Communities in close proximity to petroleum extraction often receive infrastructural and development projects at the same time that they grapple with public health crises and industrial accidents. In this panel, we compare and contrast how the claims of citizen subjects (especially those belonging to marginalized populations) are recognized within political systems in relation to the flow of oil, problematizing the dichotomy of the 'good life' of oil riches on the one hand, and the curse of petro-capitalism on the other. From the urban refinery cities of Richmond, CA and Esmeraldas, Ecuador, to the Colombian llanos and Amazon rainforest, presenters will discuss how local communities interacting with the state and oil companies (both national and multinational) position themselves and are positioned as citizens, and the struggles that emerge.

The emerging geographies of infrastructure : regulation, distributed decisions and innovation in governance 1. Transformations in infrastructure governance

Wednesday, 3/30/2016, from 10:00 AM - 11:40 AM in Athens North, Marker Hotel, Lower Level

10:00 AM Author(s): *Vanesa Castan Broto - UCL

H.S. Sudhira - Gubbi Labs

Abstract Title: An historical perspective on carbon lock-in: the case of Bangalore, India

10:20 AM Author(s): *Ralitsa Hiteva - SPRU, University of Sussex

Abstract Title: Geographies of access to infrastructure: the case of UK offshore wind

10:35 AM Author(s): *Katherine Lovell - University of Sussex

Abstract Title: The business of railways? The changing governance structure of Great Britain's railways.

10:50 AM Discussant: Stefan Bouzarovski - University of Manchester

11:10 AM Author(s): *Alan Patterson, BSc, MA, PhD, FRGS - Sheffield Hallam University

Abstract Title: Restructuring Water Management: from private, to public, to private, to ... 'not for profit'?

Discussant(s):

Stefan Bouzarovski - University of Manchester

Session Description: The aim of this session is to explore the emergence of new approaches and innovation in regulation, business models, and the diverse locations of decision-making in the governance of infrastructure delivery and maintenance at multiple scales (micro-scales like buildings, neighbourhoods; local, national, regional, EU and/or global scales).

Technology advancements enabled by the rapid growth of ICT in infrastructure delivery and maintenance, and the pinch on public resources brought on by austerity measures and the economic crisis, are opening spaces for the introduction of innovative and non-traditional models for creating and capturing value, within companies, society and the market. Innovations are occurring in terms of product, actors and process. Business model innovations can accompany other innovations or occur independently, and are strictly related to the way value is created and captured internally. Changes in business models can alter the development paths of even the most ancient and high-momentum infrastructure systems, potentially leading to new uses and utility. Companies typically only capture a small amount of the value they create, while the value that is created is not always economic (such as learning) but particularly important in infrastructure settings, which are often regulated to ensure these non-economic values are provided to society. Social innovations can create more value and capture public benefits which would otherwise be marginalised or lost through complex governance arrangements. These can take place through local initiatives, e.g. by volunteers as in the case of energy community projects; or in the form of public-private collaborations for funding and operating infrastructures (as in the case of shared information infrastructure).

The fragmented, complex, and disconnected nature of arrangements within and between infrastructure sectors, along with increasing interdependence between sectors, is reshaping business models of infrastructure based services, prompting the emergence of new approaches to regulation and governance. The increasingly interconnected nature of infrastructure sectors is also profoundly reshaping the decision-making process, opening up new sites of political intervention and influence, that pose questions related to the democratic potential (or not) of these new spaces of engagement that go beyond existing institutional arrangements. As such the evolving nature of infrastructure draws attention to a wider range of actors, sites, and technologies through which the direction of governance is influenced.

While regulatory changes are gradually pushing the boundaries of existing arrangements and playing catch up with normative concepts and policy, infrastructure governance has seen more extensive changes through the introduction of more and non-traditional actors, and platforms and means for coordination between (public and private) actors. Across sectors, there are opportunities and requirements for closer, more open and responsive relationships between infrastructure providers and regulators, which challenge existing regulatory practices and the way value is created and captured within infrastructure systems.

Energy and Environment Group Plenary

Wednesday, 3/30/2016, from 10:00 AM - 11:40 AM in Continental 6, Hilton Hotel, Ballroom Level

Jennifer Baka - London School of Economics

Speaker: Catherine Mithcell - University of Exeter

The emerging geographies of infrastructure : regulation, distributed decisions and innovation in governance 2. Urban infrastructure governance

Wednesday, 3/30/2016, from 1:20 PM - 3:00 PM in Athens North, Marker Hotel, Lower Level

1:20 PM Discussant: Andy Pike - Newcastle University

1:40 PM Author(s): *Candace Partridge - University College London

Francesca Medda, PhD - University College London

Abstract Title: Using Green Municipal Bonds to Finance Smart City Infrastructure

2:00 PM Author(s): *Daniel Florentin - LATTS

Abstract Title: Shrinking demand regime: an emerging model of infrastructure?

2:20 PM Author(s): *Andreanne Doyon - The University of Melbourne

Abstract Title: Innovation in infrastructure and land use: the case of live/work

2:40 PM Author(s): *Margot Weijnen - Delft University of Technology

Aad Correljé, Dr. - Delft University of Technology

Abstract Title: The emerging role of cities in infrastructure governance

Discussant(s):

Andy Pike - Newcastle University

Session Description: The aim of this session is to explore the emergence of new approaches and innovation in regulation, business models, and the diverse locations of decision-making in the governance of infrastructure delivery and maintenance at multiple scales (micro-scales like buildings, neighbourhoods; local, national, regional, EU and/or global scales).

Technology advancements enabled by the rapid growth of ICT in infrastructure delivery and maintenance, and the pinch on public resources brought on by austerity measures and the economic crisis, are opening spaces for the introduction of innovative and non-traditional models for creating and capturing value, within companies, society and the market. Innovations are occurring in terms of product, actors and process. Business model innovations can accompany other innovations or occur independently, and are strictly related to the way value is created and captured internally. Changes in business models can alter the development paths of even the most ancient and high-momentum infrastructure systems, potentially leading to new uses and utility. Companies typically only capture a small amount of the value they create, while the value that is created is not always economic (such as learning) but particularly important in infrastructure settings, which are often regulated to ensure these non-economic values are provided to society. Social innovations can create more value and capture public benefits which would otherwise be marginalised or lost through complex governance arrangements. These can take place through local initiatives, e.g. by volunteers as in the case of energy community projects; or in the form of public-private collaborations for funding and operating infrastructures (as in the case of shared information infrastructure).

The fragmented, complex, and disconnected nature of arrangements within and between infrastructure sectors, along with increasing interdependence between sectors, is reshaping business models of infrastructure based services, prompting the emergence of new approaches to regulation and governance. The increasingly interconnected nature of infrastructure sectors is also profoundly reshaping the decision-making process, opening up new sites of political intervention and influence, that pose questions related to the democratic potential (or not) of these new spaces of engagement that go beyond existing institutional arrangements. As such the evolving nature of infrastructure draws attention to a wider range of actors, sites, and technologies through which the direction of governance is influenced.

While regulatory changes are gradually pushing the boundaries of existing arrangements and playing catch up with normative concepts and policy, infrastructure governance has seen more extensive changes through the introduction of more and non-traditional actors, and platforms and means for coordination between (public and private) actors. Across sectors, there are opportunities and requirements for closer, more open and responsive relationships between infrastructure providers and regulators, which challenge existing regulatory practices and the way value is created and captured within infrastructure systems.

San Francisco Infrastructure - Planning and Managing for Change in the Bay Region

Wednesday, 3/30/2016, from 1:20 PM - 3:00 PM in Franciscan B, Hilton Hotel, Ballroom Level

1:20 PM Author(s): *Will Travis - Bay Conservation and Development Commission

Abstract Title: Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change and Sea Level Rise in the Bay Area

1:40 PM Author(s): *Peter Drekmeier - The Tuolumne River Trust

Abstract Title: The Tuolumne River Trust - The Voice for A River from Yosemite To The Pacific

2:00 PM Author(s): *Laura Tam - SPUR

Abstract Title: SPUR: How a Regional Planning Non-profit Fosters Sustainable Change Throughout the Bay Area

2:20 PM Author(s): *Michael Carlin - San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

Abstract Title: San Francisco's Public Utilities Commission: Clean Water, Power and Sewer Services for a City

2:40 PM Author(s): *Arthur O'Donnell - California Public Utilities Commission

Abstract Title: The Geography of San Francisco's Electric Utility System - Political, Financial and Physical Realities

Session Description: San Francisco Infrastructure: Planning and Managing for Environmental Change in the Bay Region

San Francisco faces unique challenges in providing three basic infrastructure services: water, power and sewer. It is a 49- square mile, world-class tourist destination, located at the tip of a densely populated peninsula with a variable Mediterranean climate in an area famous for its seismicity. The City imports most of its energy and water from distant sources and discharges treated wastewater into fragile Bay and near shore ocean ecosystems.

In this session different stakeholders talk about how they work collaboratively yet bring their unique perspective towards infrastructure planning and management.

Rising sea level from climate change promises to have a major impact on Bay Area communities. What is being done from a regional planning and physical perspective to reduce these impacts? What steps are needed to build adaptation to climate change - and sea level rise - into the region's planning for sustainable economic prosperity?

Although San Francisco generates 385 MW of Hetch Hetchy hydroelectric power and 11 MW from municipal solar PV and biogas systems, no major power generating facilities exist within its boundaries. The physical reality is that, in a highly interconnected Western grid, all power is system power, even generation from one's own rooftop solar collector.

Presenters include Asst. General Manager of SFPUC, former Exec. Director of the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, Policy Director of the Tuolumne River Trust (an advocacy group), Sustainable Development Policy Director for SPUR (regional and urban planning non-profit), and journalist/author of the "Soul of the Grid" from California CPUC.

The Environment as a Profession

Wednesday, 3/30/2016, from 3:20 PM - 5:00 PM in Yosemite A, Hilton Hotel, Ballroom Level

3:20 PM Discussant: Xantha Bruso - Energy Procurement of Pacific Gas and Electric, xxb1[at]pge.com

Xantha is an energy and environmental professional specializing in climate change and energy policy, analysis, and advocacy; a professional goal is to further the transition to a lower carbon economy.

3:40 PM Discussant: Yolanda Manzone - Environmental Justice Program Manager San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, ymanzone[at]sfwater.org Yolanda supports the Environmental Justice policy seeking to ensure fair treatment of people of all races, cultures and incomes and equitable distribution of environmental consequences from SFPUC projects.

4:00 PM Discussant: Sabrina Drill - Associate Director of California Naturalist Natural Resources Advisor in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, sldrill[at]ucanr.edu Sabrina has a deep interest in helping people connect to nature and to use and collect scientific information to care for the environment around them, whether in the “big wilds” or the urban core.

4:20 PM Discussant: Tom Lindley - Firm-Wide Chair of Environment, Energy, and Resources Practice at Perkins Coie, tlindley[at]perkinscoie.com Tom chairs the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center’s advisory Board and has led panels on environmental & energy law careers at the National Black Law Students’ Association Annual Meeting.

4:40 PM Discussant: Peter Vorster - Hydrogeographer at The Bay Institute, vorster[at]bay.org Peter heads up the San Joaquin River restoration initiative for The Bay Institute, a San Francisco-based research/advocacy NGO and was a principal researcher for the California Water Atlas.

Discussant(s):

Xantha Bruso - PG&E

Yolanda Manzone - San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

Sabrina Drill - UCLA

Tom Lindley - Perkins Coie

Peter Vorster - The Bay Institute

Session Description: Geographic skills are adaptable to diverse career paths in the environmental profession. Impact assessment, sea level rise mapping, modeling the ecology of climate change, land conservation, planning and transportation studies are but a few examples of the disciplines that trained Geographers fulfill. Government, industry, non-profits and non-government organizations routinely require and apply tools of the geographic discipline, though the "brand name" of Geography may not at first resonate.

This session offers presentations by leading West Coast environmental professionals from private industry, government, academia and the non-profit sectors. Each has had extensive experience in the recruitment, hiring, and mentoring of students and practicing professionals alike. They have been invited to discuss their start in the environmental profession, academic background, career path, and the type of credentials their organization considers when evaluating job seekers. An open discussion will follow their talks.

Speakers include:

1. Xantha Bruso, Manager, Long-Term Energy Policy, Energy Procurement, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E). Xantha is an energy and environmental professional specializing in climate change and energy policy, analysis, and advocacy. Her recent work at PG&E has focused on greenhouse gas regulation and Assembly Bill (AB) 32's cap-and-trade program implementation. A professional goal is to further the transition to a lower carbon economy.

2. Sabrina L. Drill, Ph.D., Associate Director, California Naturalist, Natural Resources Advisor, Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, University of California Cooperative Extension. Sabrina has a deep interest in helping people connect to nature and to use and collect scientific information to care for the environment around them, whether in the "big wilds" or the urban core.

3. Tom Lindley, Esq. Firm-wide Chair, Environment, Energy and Resources Practice, Perkins Coie. Tom is a leading environmental lawyer assisting clients on environmental matters including climate change, sea level rise and water quality trading. Tom serves on the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center's advisory Board and led panels on Environmental & Energy law careers at the National Black Law Students' Association Annual Meeting.

4. Yolanda Manzone, Esq., Environmental Justice Program Manager, San Fran. Public Utilities Commission. Yolanda supports SFPUC implementation of its innovative Environmental Justice policy that seeks to ensure fair treatment of people of all races, cultures and incomes and ensure equitable distribution of environmental consequences from SFPUC projects and programs.

5. Peter Vorster, Hydrogeographer, The Bay Institute. Peter heads up the San Joaquin River restoration initiative for The Bay Institute, a San Francisco-based research/advocacy NGO. Much of Peter's work has focused on restoring Mono Lake, California water resources, and resolving landmark water conflicts in the Eastern Sierra. Peter was a primary author of the California Water Atlas.

The emerging geographies of infrastructure : regulation, distributed decisions and innovation in governance 3. Infrastructure interdependencies and cross sector integrations

Wednesday, 3/30/2016, from 3:20 PM - 5:00 PM in Athens North, Marker Hotel, Lower Level

3:20 PM Author(s): *Chiara Farné Fratini - Aalborg University

Jens Stissing Jensen - Aalborg University

Birgitte Hoffmann - Aalborg University

Abstract Title: Scale specific perspectives for the governance of the water-energy-landuse nexus in Denmark: the missing representation of ecological priorities

3:40 PM Author(s): *Ellen Van Bueren - Delft University of Technology

Abstract Title: "What's in it for me?" Perceived opportunities and risks of resource exchange projects

4:00 PM Author(s): *Dan Kopin - University of Vermont

*Jennie C. Stephens, PhD - University of Vermont

Tarla Rai Peterson, PhD - University of Texas, El Paso

Elizabeth J Wilson, PhD - University of Minnesota

Abstract Title: Geographic Diversity among Electric Utilities: Varying Perspectives on Smart Grid and Electricity System Change

4:20 PM Author(s): *Aad Correljé - Delft University of Technology

Margot Weijnen - Delft University of Technology

Abstract Title: Challenges for energy policy in a fragmented institutional landscape

4:40 PM Discussant: Phillip O'Neill - University of Western Sydney

Discussant(s):

Phillip O'Neill - University of Western Sydney

Session Description: The aim of this session is to explore the emergence of new approaches and innovation in regulation, business models, and the diverse locations of decision-making in the governance of infrastructure delivery and maintenance at multiple scales (micro-scales like buildings, neighbourhoods; local, national, regional, EU and/or global scales).

Technology advancements enabled by the rapid growth of ICT in infrastructure delivery and maintenance, and the pinch on public resources brought on by austerity measures and the economic crisis, are opening spaces for the introduction of innovative and non-traditional models for creating and capturing value, within companies, society and the market. Innovations are occurring in terms of product, actors and process. Business model innovations can accompany other innovations or occur independently, and are strictly related to the way value is created and captured internally. Changes in business models can alter the development paths of even the most ancient and high-momentum infrastructure systems, potentially leading to new uses and utility. Companies typically only capture a small amount of the value they create, while the value that is created is not always economic (such as learning) but particularly important in infrastructure settings, which are often regulated to ensure these non-economic values are provided to society. Social innovations can create more value and capture public benefits which would otherwise be marginalised or lost through complex governance arrangements. These can take place through local initiatives, e.g. by volunteers as in the case of energy community projects; or in the form of public-private collaborations for funding and operating infrastructures (as in the case of shared information infrastructure).

The fragmented, complex, and disconnected nature of arrangements within and between infrastructure sectors, along with increasing interdependence between sectors, is reshaping business models of infrastructure based services, prompting the emergence of new approaches to regulation and governance. The increasingly interconnected nature of infrastructure sectors is also profoundly reshaping the decision-making process, opening up new sites of political intervention and influence, that pose questions related to the democratic potential (or not) of these new spaces of engagement that go beyond existing institutional arrangements. As such the evolving nature of infrastructure draws attention to a wider range of actors, sites, and technologies through which the direction of governance is influenced.

While regulatory changes are gradually pushing the boundaries of existing arrangements and playing catch up with normative concepts and policy, infrastructure governance has seen more extensive changes through the introduction of more and non-traditional actors, and platforms and means for coordination between (public and private) actors. Across sectors, there are opportunities and requirements for closer, more open and responsive relationships between infrastructure providers and regulators, which challenge existing regulatory practices and the way value is created and captured within infrastructure systems.

The emerging geographies of infrastructure : regulation, distributed decisions and innovation in governance 4. Democratic engagement and participation in infrastructure governance

Wednesday, 3/30/2016, from 5:20 PM - 7:00 PM in Athens North, Marker Hotel, Lower Level

5:20 PM Discussant: Vanesa Castan Broto - UCL

5:40 PM Author(s): *Helen Pallett - University of East Anglia, UK

Jason Chilvers - University of East Anglia

Tom Hargreaves - University of East Anglia

Abstract Title: Participation in and around the UK energy system: taking a whole systems view

6:00 PM Author(s): *Cian O'Donovan - University of Sussex

Abstract Title: Democratic engagement with and within emerging regulator spaces

6:20 PM Author(s): *Athina Panayiotou -

Athina Panayiotou, A.P -

Francesca Medda -

Abstract Title: Infrastructure Investments for Growth: Comparative Portfolio Investment Strategies

6:40 PM Author(s): *Ove Langeland - Institute of Transport Economics

Tom Erik Julsrud - Institute of Transport Economics

Abstract Title: Shared consumption as a pathway to low-carbon transition in urban mobility

Discussant(s):

Vanesa Castan Broto - UCL

Session Description: The aim of this session is to explore the emergence of new approaches and innovation in regulation, business models, and the diverse locations of decision-making in the governance of infrastructure delivery and maintenance at multiple scales (micro-scales like buildings, neighbourhoods; local, national, regional, EU and/or global scales).

Technology advancements enabled by the rapid growth of ICT in infrastructure delivery and maintenance, and the pinch on public resources brought on by austerity measures and the economic crisis, are opening spaces for the introduction of innovative and non-traditional models for creating and capturing value, within companies, society and the market. Innovations are occurring in terms of product, actors and process. Business model innovations can accompany other innovations or occur independently, and are strictly related to the way value is created and captured internally. Changes in business models can alter the development paths of even the most ancient and high-momentum infrastructure systems, potentially leading to new uses and utility. Companies typically only capture a small amount of the value they create, while the value that is created is not always economic (such as learning) but particularly important in infrastructure settings, which are often regulated to ensure these non-economic values are provided to society. Social innovations can create more value and capture public benefits which would otherwise be marginalised or lost through complex governance arrangements. These can take place through local initiatives, e.g. by volunteers as in the case of energy community projects; or in the form of public-private collaborations for funding and operating infrastructures (as in the case of shared information infrastructure).

The fragmented, complex, and disconnected nature of arrangements within and between infrastructure sectors, along with increasing interdependence between sectors, is reshaping business models of infrastructure based services, prompting the emergence of new approaches to regulation and governance. The increasingly interconnected nature of infrastructure sectors is also profoundly reshaping the decision-making process, opening up new sites of political intervention and influence, that pose questions related to the democratic potential (or not) of these new spaces of engagement that go beyond existing institutional arrangements. As such the evolving nature of infrastructure draws attention to a wider range of actors, sites, and technologies through which the direction of governance is influenced.

While regulatory changes are gradually pushing the boundaries of existing arrangements and playing catch up with normative concepts and policy, infrastructure governance has seen more extensive changes through the introduction of more and non-traditional actors, and platforms and means for coordination between (public and private) actors. Across sectors, there are opportunities and requirements for closer, more open and responsive relationships between infrastructure providers and regulators, which challenge existing regulatory practices and the way value is created and captured within infrastructure systems.

Eurasian Themes V: Nature/Society in Eurasian Contexts

Wednesday, 3/30/2016, from 5:20 PM - 7:00 PM in Powell Room A, Hilton Hotel, 6th Floor

5:20 PM Author(s): *Irina Fedorenko, DPhil Candidate - University of Oxford

Abstract Title: Post- foreign funding: new wave environmental movements in Russia and China.

5:40 PM Author(s): *Mikhail S Blinnikov, PhD - St. Cloud State University

Abstract Title: Green Spaces of Moscow: a Test of Landscape Biological Complexity Metric with Multi-Year Bird Species Data

6:00 PM Author(s): *Robert Amey - Bridgewater State University

Abstract Title: Water Issues

6:20 PM Author(s): *Kristopher D. White - KIMEP University

Abstract Title: Nature/Society and Kazakhstan's Northern Aral Sea

6:40 PM Author(s): *Brian E. Robinson - McGill University

Ping Li - Grassland Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science

Xiangyang Hou - Grassland Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science

Abstract Title: Social-ecological methods for assessing institutional change: grassland institutions and livelihood outcomes in Inner Mongolia from 1000 - 2015 CE.

Session Description: Session presenters explore a dynamic range of environmental changes and societal concerns, exploring, for example,

* the impacts of oil and gas development;

* the legacies of radioactive contamination;

* water resource degradation and reclamation;

* nature protection and conservation;

* environmental protest and activism.

Remaking the global economy V: GPNs and the environment, part 1

Wednesday, 3/30/2016, from 5:20 PM - 7:00 PM in Union Square 14, Hilton Hotel, 4th Floor

5:20 PM Author(s): *Aarti Krishnan - Global Development Institute

Abstract Title: What's the point of environmental upgrading?Comparing Kenyan horticultural farmers supplying different end markets

5:40 PM Author(s): Jane Lister - University of British Columbia

Rene' T Poulsen - Copenhagen Business School

*Stefano Ponte - Copenhagen Business School

Abstract Title: Buyer-driven greening? Cargo-owners and environmental upgrading in maritime shipping

6:00 PM Author(s): *Bradford Dubik - Duke University Marine Laboratory

Abstract Title: Epidemic Shrimp Disease and the Development of Aquaculture Production Networks in Aceh, Indonesia

6:20 PM Author(s): *Alex Hughes - Newcastle University

Cheryl McEwan - University Of Durham

Abstract Title: Environmental struggle and the entanglements of value capture in Fairtrade production networks

Session Description: Research on global production networks (GPNs) and global value chains (GVCs) (hereafter GPNs) has made considerable progress in understanding how firms participate in the global economy and the associated development outcomes. Much of this work has long had a preoccupation with the economic dimensions of integrating into the global economy, including through an interest in how participants can upgrade and capture more value from participating in GPNs. Such work has helped understand the economic governance of inter-firm relations, as well as the societal, network and territorial embeddedness of actors in GPNs. More recently a rapidly growing body of work has explored in greater depth the social dimensions of incorporation in GPNs, which has had a particular emphasis on the implications for labour. Yet research has not yet been adequately able to conceptually and empirically study the interactions between GPNs and the environment (Bolwig et al., 2010) and verify if and how the pursuit of environmental upgrading may be accompanied by economic and social upgrading as well.

Some earlier work has attempted to explore the relationships between economic globalisation and the environment (e.g. Bridge 2002, Leichenko and O'Brien, 2008), while others have begun to investigate environmental upgrading trajectories across various GPNs (De Marchi et al., 2013a, b, Jeppesen and Hansen, 2004). Greater consideration of the environment and the processes of environmental upgrading and its outcomes is of fundamental importance and could challenge our understanding of GPNs. Further research of this kind can shed light on sustainable production and consumption processes (a sustainable development goal) of participants at global, regional and local scales. These sustainability priorities require attention as firms are now prioritising green growth and must adapt to meet private and public environmental standards as well as consumer expectations. Meanwhile environmental movements can also contest the activities of actors in GPNs. GPN approaches can improve our understanding of the impact of climate change and extremes on participants, as well as prospects for resilience.

These sessions seek to provide a platform for the investigation of various approaches to GPNs/ GVCs and the environment.