Community empowerment, transformative growth, and building a resilient economy
The "Community Empowerment, Transformative Growth, and Building a Resilient Economy" flagship of the Centre for International Trade and Business in Asia (CITBA) addresses the inadequacies of traditional methods for managing external risks such as climate change, public health emergencies, and economic growth. Conventional approaches, including climate change adaptation plans, public health emergency strategies, and models for sustainable economic growth, are proving insufficient. These methods have historically overlooked the significant structural changes associated with economic development, as well as the evolving industrial landscape and the emergence of new comparative advantages and skills.
Vulnerable communities and at-risk regions, particularly those susceptible to external shocks like climate change, natural disasters, and public health crises, have been largely neglected in traditional adaptation strategies. These communities require not only tailored adaptive responses to climate risks but also the unlocking of their inherent adaptive capacities to drive new, sustainable development pathways that align with the 2030 Agenda. Recognizing transformative growth, decarbonization, and the strategic reallocation of economic resources as essential parts of the solution is therefore critical.
This flagship acknowledges that external economic shocks often lead to social disorganization and increased vulnerability. These outcomes arise as communities face sudden and intense competition for limited resources, exacerbating chaos and instability during unprecedented events such as natural disasters or pandemics. The transition to a low-carbon economy is increasingly recognized as essential not only for mitigating climate risks but also for ensuring sustainable economic growth. However, traditional methods have often failed to integrate decarbonization strategies effectively, leaving vulnerable communities at a disadvantage.
The flagship recognizes that decarbonization is integral to achieving both SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, and SDG 13: Climate Action. The shift towards low-carbon industries, renewable energy, and sustainable practices offers new opportunities for economic development and job creation, particularly in regions and communities that have been marginalized by conventional economic strategies. By fostering community-driven development and enhancing regional competitiveness, the flagship seeks to promote inclusive, transformative, and resilient growth.
The ultimate goal of this flagship is to provide long-term planning strategies and sustainable solutions that balance economic growth, social well-being, and environmental stewardship. By addressing the social disorganization and vulnerability that can result from external economic shocks, and by integrating decarbonization efforts into economic planning, the flagship aligns its efforts with SDG 8 and SDG 13. This involves promoting sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all, while also ensuring that communities are resilient and adaptive in the face of ongoing environmental and economic changes. The flagship also supports the creation of sustainable communities (SDG 11) and fosters partnerships (SDG 17) to achieve these goals, ensuring a holistic approach to resilience and inclusive growth.
This flagship is directly aligned with SDG8, SDG11, SDG13 and SDG17.
The flagship has three major objectives:
- Investigate the Nexus between Socio-Environmentally Responsible Communities and Inclusive, Sustainable Growth: Explore the connections between communities that prioritize social and environmental responsibility and their potential to drive inclusive, sustainable growth. This research will focus on how these communities can contribute to transformative growth and build resilient economies, aligning with SDG 8 and SDG 13.
- Empower Communities for Climate Action and Decarbonisation: Develop and implement innovative solutions for capacity building within communities to facilitate effective climate action and decarbonization efforts. By equipping communities with the necessary knowledge, skills, and resources, this objective aims to support their transition towards sustainable practices, contributing to climate resilience and sustainable economic growth as outlined in SDG 8, SDG 13, and SDG 17.
- Foster Transformative Regional Development: Promote the development of transformative regions by identifying and implementing strategies that drive sustainable and resilient economic growth. This objective involves exploring new frameworks, policies, and practices that enable regions to thrive amidst social, economic, and environmental challenges, supporting the achievement of SDG 8, SDG 13, and SDG 11.
- Associate Professor Taha Chaiechi (Flagship Lead)
- Associate Professor Josephine Pryce
- Associate Professor Riccardo Welters
- Dr Simona Azzali
- Dr Caroline Wong
- Dr Mansi Kapoor
- Dr Shilpa Deepak Deo
- Ms Dwi Sugiharti
- Ms Diana Castorina
- Dr Rajeshwari Patil
- Dr Sweta Bannerjee
- Mr Chinmoy Goswami
- Ms Shivangee Jakkanwar
- Siddhant Suresh Waghmare ( Student)
- Daisy Goyal ( Student )
- Abhisek Chaudhari ( Student )
- Pranay Nimbarte ( Student )
- Keyur Bhonsale ( Student)
- Soham Munot ( Student )
Project 1: Urban Dynamics, Urban Planning, and Sustainable Economic Development
Project 2: Urban Design and Economic Growth: A Tale of Two Cities
Project 3: Climate-resilient economic development and sustainable city planning
Project 4: PhD Project: Community-based tourism, a sustainable path to 2030 agenda
Project 5:Transforming cities through public urban green spaces to build community well-being: comparative studies
Project 6:Measuring social and physical wellbeing of age-friendly residential buildings
Project 7: The Role of Entrepreneurship in Urban Economics in the Tropics
Project 8: Value Systems as a Pathway to a Sustainable Future
Project 9: Distance, Migration, and Sustainability of Regions
Project 10: Repurposing the World between the Plate and The Bin : A Case Study Analysis into the behavioural, cultural and operational factors contributing to food wastage in a University Canteen .
- City Temperature And City Economics, A Hidden Relationship Between Sun and Wind and Profit
- The role of urban design in economic growth in tropical cities. 1st Sustainable Tropical Urbanism Symposium: Tropical cities in a warming world, Singapore September 2019
- Urban growth, heat islands, humidity, climate change: the costs multiply in tropical cities
- Community-based tourism in villages surrounding Borobudur Temple: an inclusive and sustainable path to 2030 agenda
- COVID-19 Economy
- Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Our Communities
- City Lab
- Can Cooling the Tropical Cities Warm Up the Economy?
- Future Tropical Cities
- How to Build a Resilient Economy
- Sustainable Tropical Cities: A Scoping Review of Multidisciplinary Methods for Urban Planning
- Urban Design and Economic Growth: An Analytical Tale of Two Tropical Cities
- Economics for recovery and sustainability
- Urban Design and Economic Growth: An Analytical Tale of Two Tropical Cities
- Productivity Growth Recovery Mechanisms: An ARDL Approach Lessons from the United States, Japan and South Korea
- Measuring urban economic resilience of two tropical cities, using impulse response analysis
- The Resilience Shift- It's all in the partnership
- Silver Cities: Planning for an Ageing Population in Singapore An Urban Planning Policy Case Study of Kampung Admiralty (in-press)
- Book: Community Empowerment, Sustainable Cities, and Transformative Economies
- Sustainable and Resilient Economies: Theoretical Considerations
- Urbanisation and well-being of the ageing population in twenty-first century : A scoping review of available assessment tools
- The kaleidoscope of changing values : Are we heading towards responsible consumption and sustainable society?
- Entrepreneurship, knowledge-economy and economic success of cities: A scoping review and thematic analysis
- Rethinking the contextual factors influencing urban mobility: A new holistic conceptual framework
- Silver cities: planning for an ageing population in Singapore. An urban planning policy case study of Kampung Admiralty
- Interview, Urban Design and Economic growth
- Public Webinar on How to Build a Resilient Economy
- Media Release: The Incomplete Economy
- Media Release: COVID Economy
- Media Release: COVID Economy-Part 2
- Profiling the tropical entrepreneur
- Our research is cited by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2022 report
- Interview with Faculti Urban development of two tropical cities
- JCU Media Release Local Responses to Big Economic Challenges
- Interview with BD mag Is the carbon border adjustment mechanism the key to unlocking the north?
- Impact Blog for Emerald Publishing Creating safe and inclusive cities for an ageing population
- Authored book: #Whatever: The Alternative Narrative
James Cook University and the Centre for International Business and Trade in Asia (CITBA) organised an Urban Thinkers Campus (UTC) entitled “Urban Design, Economic Growth, and the Jobs of the Future in the Tropics”. The UTC model is an initiative of UN-Habitat conceived as an open space for critical exchange between urban researchers, professionals, and decision-makers who believe that urbanization is an opportunity and can lead to positive urban and economic transformations.
A large number of community groups from JCU, Redlynch State College, Tropical North Learning Smithfield State High School, Cairns Regional Council, Department of Transport and Main Roads, Cairns Airport, businesses such as GHD, Planz Town Planning, ABDT, non-profit organisations such as Social Enterprise Network for the Tropics (SENT), FNQ Citizen’s Climate Council, My Pathway, MiHaven, Community Owned Enterprise, ISLA, Architects, and other members of the public attended the Urban Thinkers Campus event organised by the Centre for International Trade and Business in Asia (CITBA). The event was part of the United Nation’s Habitat program and it took place over three days between 25-27 Novembers inclusive.
The event proved to be a catalyst to build consensus between participating constituencies for addressing urban and economic challenges in our city and proposing solutions to future challenges.
The event was the culmination of 9 months planning and preparation by a small army of people within CITBA, with special mention of and thanks to A/Prof Josephine Pryce, Dr Silvia Tavares, Ms Diana Castorina, Ms Trang Nguyen, Ms Jane Njaramba, Ms Dwi Sugiharti, Mr Andrew Dineen, Mr Emmanuel McCarthy, and Ms Suzie Pont for their generous contribution of time and expertise before, during, and after the event.
Centre for International Trade and Business in Asia would also like to especially highlight the hard work of Dr Taha Chaiechi, the Australian Director of the Centre, for her continues engagement with the local community in the past several months in promoting the UN initiative in order to amplify the urban thinkers’ movement here in the tropics.
Post-event reports and evaluations are in progress and more details will be released and shared with the colleagues in due course.
The particular focus of this event was on the critical connection between innovative urban design and sustainable economic growth in a way that enhances the quality of life in the tropical communities people live and work. Building on the previous deliberations of the World Urban Campaign, this UTC was organised around the themes of “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” and “The New Urban Agenda”, specifically principle 3 (The City We Need is economically vibrant and inclusive), principle 8 (The city we need is well-planned, walkable and transit-friendly) and principle 10 (The City We Need learns and innovates). The event will also directly contribute to the SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG17 (Partnerships).
The recommendations made by the participants, are being compiled and distilled into a structured report which will then be presented to collaborating organisations and other relevant government agencies with a shared interest. The final report will be produced addressing prospective policy, planning and regulatory response. Moreover, ways of monitoring the actions through indicators will be discussed and defined, and key actors and their roles on the action plan will be identified. This UTC will be featured in the calendar of events on the World Urban Campaign website, as well as on the Urban Thinkers Campus page and will have its own dedicated page.
Contact: Dr Taha Chaiechi
email: taha.chaiechi@jcu.edu.au or citba@jcu.edu.au
Click here to view the program and be sure to register (using the button below) as seats are limited. The event is organised around three main issues:
- Urban planning and economic growth in the local tropical context
- Growing urban areas and employment opportunities
- Urban access, transport networks, and local economies
Links:
- UTC Post Event Feedback
- Urban Thinkers Campus - Photo Gallery
- Urban Thinkers Campus - Slides
For more information visit CITBA's International Conference 2021
For more information visit CITBA's International Conference 2022
This annual meeting transcends traditional networking; it is a dynamic forum where participants actively engage in discussions, deliberations, and the formulation of collaborative ventures. As a participant affiliated with JCU, a government official, or an independent practitioner, your distinctive insights carry immense weight in the collective effort to propel our region towards unprecedented growth.
The Center for International Trade and Business in Asia (CITBA), the only research center within the College of Business, Law, and Governance (CBLG) at James Cook University, Australia, presents "Reskilling Horizons: AI, The Future of Work, and the Quest for a Resilient, Sustainable Tomorrow." This conference beckons a confluence of thought leaders, industry innovators, and academic luminaries to delve into the intricate interplay between human ingenuity and artificial intelligence. Aligned with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8, our conference promotes sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all, while exploring the transformative potential of AI.