Sustainable Development & Urban Transformations

RESEARCH

"Sustainable Development" & Urban Transformations

Reclaiming Palestinian cities: Decolonizing urban landscapes and building community-led, climate-just alternatives.

Challenge

Palestinian urban spaces face the dual burden of systemic colonial oppression and environmental degradation. Rapid urbanization under occupation is marked by land dispossession, militarized infrastructures, and limited sovereignty over natural resources, leaving cities vulnerable to ecological crises such as extreme heat, inequitable waste management, and environmental injustices rooted in colonial legacies.

Opportunity

Radical urban transformation offers a chance to challenge the enduring coloniality of "sustainable development" by centering self-determination, community sovereignty, and ecological justice. Reimagining cities through collective decolonial planning fosters resilience, intergenerational equity, and a reclamation of urban spaces for the benefit of Palestinian communities..

Our Approach

Knowledge Building

Facilitate community-based frameworks that reject ecological modernization narratives and prioritize indigenous knowledge and collective governance.serve the people, not capital.

Radical Interventions

‍ Implement projects that challenge settler colonial extractivism, such as local resource recovery systems, autonomous water management, and land restoration that

Policy Advocacy for Justice

Mobilize for urban policies that foreground liberation, reject exploitative SDG models, and disrupt international complicity in colonial urban projects.

Focus Areas

Climate Justice Beyond "Greenwashing"

Advocate for approaches that expose climate solutions under occupation and extractivist logics.

Community-Led Resource Sovereignty

Develop autonomous energy and waste systems that resist dependency on exploitative infrastructures imposed by settlers.

Urban Regeneration through Resistance

Empower marginalized communities to reclaim urban space, restore disrupted ecosystems, and secure sustainable livelihoods rooted in equity.

Anti-Colonial Planning Practices

Reject neoliberal urban models and create spaces of solidarity and collective agency.

Impact and Outlook

By rejecting frameworks of ecological modernization and "green" capitalism, Palestinian cities can serve as sites of decolonial praxis. Transforming urban landscapes through anti-colonial resistance will strengthen communal bonds, reduce reliance on oppressive systems, and inspire regional movements toward liberation and ecological justice. This approach not only builds resilience but envisions a future free from colonial domination, where cities are vibrant, autonomous spaces of equity and dignity. A shift toward eco-friendly urban models boosts resilience, reduces pollution, and ensures future generations inherit sustainable cities. PICS aims to scale pilot successes across Palestine, inspiring the region to adopt climate-smart development strategies.