Canada Excellence Research Chair
Network for Equity in Sustainability Transitions
A research initiative committed to creating flourishing and inclusive cities.
Welcome to the Canada Excellence Research Chair Network for Equity in Sustainability Transitions (CERC NEST) – an initiative committed to creating flourishing and inclusive cities.
Vision
The CERC NEST seeks to contribute to equity in climate and sustainability transitions. It examines how the co-production of actionable knowledge with communities and city actors can foster participation in decision-making, help address entrenched inequities in programs, and investments, and ensure equitable access to benefits and protection from harm.
Overview of the CERC NEST
CERC NEST is designed to create knowledge that contributes to making cities more sustainable and fair for everyone. While climate change affects us all, its impacts are often felt most strongly by those who contribute the least to the problem — predominantly low-income and marginalized urban populations. Many cities focus on technological solutions to climate change, but these often overlook the needs and experiences of people living in vulnerable neighbourhoods.
By building on three findings from Dr. Romero-Lankao’s work in cities like Mexico and Los Angeles, CERC NEST advances research within three working groups.
Working Group I
operates at the local level
First, communities want to define aspirations, problems, and solutions.
Through knowledge co-creation, we generate actionable research with underserved populations – the youth and working class.
Working Group II
operates at the city systems level
Second, top-down approaches to knowledge and action often (re)create inequities.
Through urban research, we analyze equity in energy use for transport and housing, vulnerability and urban climate action.
Working Group III
operates at the international level
Third, we need a solid, context-aware analysis of equity determinants and outcomes across cities.
Through a community of practice, we examine exclusion mechanisms and how to foster equity in actions.
CERC NEST News and Events
CERC NEST Meets With the University of Edinburgh and the Centre for Energy Policy
Professor Patricia (Paty) Romero-Lankao, Canada Excellence Research Chair for the Network for Equity in Sustainability Transitions (CERC NEST) and Professor at the University of Toronto Scarborough, recently visited Scotland. Jointly organized by the University of...
Angelinos on catalyzing equity in climate action
We are thrilled with the presentation of our “Angelinos Voices - Catalyzing Community Capacity for Equity in Climate Action,” Research Reports in English and Spanish, a look at the pulse of Equity in Climate Action in South Central Los Angeles. The CERC NEST team...
Centering Community Voices: Sharing Climate Equity Findings with Esperanza Community Housing
On July 13, 2026, the CERC NEST team held a community workshop at Esperanza Community Housing to present the findings of the report, Angelinos' Voices – Catalyzing Community Capacity for Equity in Climate Action. The report was developed from a series of community...
The CERC NEST is supported by the CERC program:
The CERC program is a tri-agency initiative of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. It is administered by the Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS), which is housed within SSHRC.
