Eco-Ethics of the Fjord City

Abstract

This master’s thesis compares bottom-up strategies of climate activism and top-down ‘green’ urban development strategies in Oslo, aiming to examine the city’s environmental identity and reputation as a frontrunner for sustainability. It draws on theoretical work from both urban studies and eco- ethics, developing an interdisciplinary methodological framework to examine the terrain of environmental values. The research builds on the work of the Norwegian environmental movement, analyzing how ecological values and discursive strategies shape urban environmental ethics. It involves a comparative analysis of fifteen semi-structured interviews with climate activists and experts working within the areas of urban studies, city planning, and architecture. These interviews were conducted from 2022–2023, in addition to participant observation at demonstrations and protests led by climate activists in Oslo. In pursuing this interdisciplinary approach – bridging theory and practice – the thesis navigates between informed perspectives, analyzing how ecological values translate into the making of the built environment. It addresses how interpretations of urban sustainability are reshaping the ways in which city dwellers view collective identity and ethical responsibility in relation to the climate crisis and accelerating urbanization. This thesis contributes to the interdisciplinary body of literature that exists on this topic by addressing the intersection of climate change, activism, and urban identity, using Oslo as an exploratory case study. Research findings point to theoretical and practice-oriented tensions in Oslo’s ‘green city’ discourse, stemming from contrasting ecological values and urban imaginaries. However, participatory approaches to planning and design provide opportunities to resolve this dissonance and foster productive collaboration between activists and practicing urbanists. In navigating between these perspectives, the thesis points towards the exploration of eco-ethical urbanism as an alternative development paradigm that reorients the concept of the ‘urban’ around principles of social, economic, and ecological justice. By establishing a bridge between these perspectives, new qualitative metrics can be established to address the climate crisis and promote alternative visions of sustainable urbanity.