We were joined by Sheila R. Foster, a leading thinker on the promise of cities for racial justice, environmental and climate progress, and democracy and good governance—with a clear-eyed look at hard truths and challenges as well.

Foster is a Professor of Law and Public Policy at Georgetown and a Visiting Professor of Climate at the Columbia Climate School. She is one of the foremost scholars of climate and environmental justice and the role cities can play in achieving it while promoting social and economic welfare, improving governance, and addressing racial inequality.

In conversation with Climate Museum director Miranda Massie, Foster discussed the philosophical and practical implications of treating urban spaces as shared infrastructure, the governance principles undergirding her work on “co-cities,” and the critical role of the city as a commons—a true commons—in the fight for climate justice.