Knowledge to Serve the City: Insights from an Emerging Knowledge-Action Network to Address Vulnerability and Sustainability in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Authors

• Tischa A. Muñoz-Erickson, International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest ServiceFollow
• Ariel E. Lugo, International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest ServiceFollow
• Elvia Meléndez-Ackerman, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, Río PiedrasFollow
• Luis E. Santiago-Acevedo, Graduate School of Planning, University of Puerto Rico, Río PiedrasFollow
• José Seguinot-Barbosa, Department of Environmental Health, University of Puerto Rico, Medical SciencesFollow
• Pablo Méndez-Lázaro, Department of Environmental Health, University of Puerto Rico, Medical SciencesFollow
• Myrna Hall, College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry, State University of New YorkFollow
• Braulio Quintero, College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry, State University of New YorkFollow
• Alonso Ramírez, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, Río PiedrasFollow
• Diana García-Montiel, Independent ConsultantFollow
• Robert Gilmore Pontius Jr., School of Geography, Clark UniversityFollow
• Olga M. Ramos-González, International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest ServiceFollow
• Raúl Santiago-Bartolomei, Estudios Técnicos, Inc.Follow
• Julio Verdejo-Ortíz, Independent ConsultantFollow
• Jorge R. Ortíz-Zayas, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, Río PiedrasFollow
• Carmen M. Concepción, Graduate School of Planning, University of Puerto Rico, Río PiedrasFollow
• Daniela Cusack, Department of Geography, University of California, Los AngelesFollow
• Juan Giusti, University of Puerto Rico, Río PiedrasFollow
• William McDowell, Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New HampshireFollow
• María Luz Cruz-Torres, School of Transborder Studies, Arizona State UniversityFollow
• Julio Vallejo, Fundación Luis Muñoz MarínFollow
• Lindsay Cray, Earthworks InstituteFollow
• Jess Zimmerman, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, Río PiedrasFollow
• Víctor Cuadrado-Landrau, ThinkAMapFollow
• Magaly Figueroa, International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest ServiceFollow

This paper presents initial efforts to establish the San Juan Urban Long-Term Research Area Exploratory (ULTRA-Ex), a long-term program aimed at developing transdisciplinary social-ecological system (SES) research to address vulnerability and sustainability for the municipality of San Juan. Transdisciplinary approaches involve the collaborations between researchers, stakeholders, and citizens to produce socially-relevant knowledge and support decision-making. We characterize the transdisciplinary arrangement emerging in San Juan ULTRA-Ex as a knowledge-action network composed of multiple formal and informal actors (e.g., scientists, policymakers, civic organizations and other stakeholders) where knowledge, ideas, and strategies for sustainability are being produced, evaluated, and validated. We describe in this paper the on-the-ground social practices and dynamics that emerged from developing a knowledge-action network in our local context. Specifically, we present six social practices that were crucial to the development of our knowledge-action network: 1) understanding local framings; 2) analyzing existing knowledge-action systems in the city; 3) framing the social-ecological research agenda; 4) collaborative knowledge production and integration; 5) boundary objects and practices; and 6) synthesis, application, and adaptation. We discuss key challenges and ways to move forward in building knowledge-action networks for sustainability. Our hope is that the insights learned from this process will stimulate broader discussions on how to develop knowledge for urban sustainability, especially in tropical cities where these issues are under-explored.

Recommended Citation

Muñoz-Erickson, Tischa A.; Lugo, Ariel E.; Meléndez-Ackerman, Elvia; Santiago-Acevedo, Luis E.; Seguinot-Barbosa, José; Méndez-Lázaro, Pablo; Hall, Myrna; Quintero, Braulio; Ramírez, Alonso; García-Montiel, Diana; Pontius Jr., Robert Gilmore; Ramos-González, Olga M.; Santiago-Bartolomei, Raúl; Verdejo-Ortíz, Julio; Ortíz-Zayas, Jorge R.; Concepción, Carmen M.; Cusack, Daniela; Giusti, Juan; McDowell, William; Cruz-Torres, María Luz; Vallejo, Julio; Cray, Lindsay; Zimmerman, Jess; Cuadrado-Landrau, Víctor; and Figueroa, Magaly (2014) "Knowledge to Serve the City: Insights from an Emerging Knowledge-Action Network to Address Vulnerability and Sustainability in San Juan, Puerto Rico," Cities and the Environment (CATE): Vol. 7: Iss. 1, Article 5.
DOI: 10.15365/1932-7048.1147
Available at: https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/cate/vol7/iss1/5

DOI

10.15365/1932-7048.1147