The concept of just transition dates to at least the 1970s and arose out of struggles within the labour movement to reconcile environmental protection with the well-being of workers. As the concept has evolved and grown in popularity in recent years, it has taken on new and varied meanings. The Urban Just Transition Scans project aims to identify and make sense of how the concept is used and applied today to Scarborough’s urban and settler-colonial context. To develop our understanding, we are conducting “scans” of relevant policies and organizations.

Through our policy scan, we conducted a survey of just transition-related documents relevant to Scarborough and, through an iterative analytical process, developed a framework to help identify the different understandings of just transition articulated. We are now coding these documents according to their understanding of the actors, issues, time, and space relevant to just transition and the processes through which it will be achieved.

The policy scan is complemented by a survey of organizations whose work is related to just transition in Scarborough. Through this project, we aim to build an understanding of the current and potential organizational ecologies through which a transformative just transition can be achieved.

Stay tuned for the publication of our interactive visualizations to help navigate the world of just transition with us!