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Sara Hughes

Assistant Professor
Environmental Policy and Planning
Climate + Energy
Water
Cities + Mobility + Built Environment
hughessm@umich.edu
(734) 647-1209
Office
G170 Dana
Websites
Website

About

Professor Hughes' research focuses on the political and institutional dimensions of sustainable and equitable water and climate change policies, primarily in the urban context. Current projects examine the politics and production of safe and affordable drinking water in the U.S., the policy failures behind the Flint water crisis, and urban climate change governance, including equitable approaches to building urban climate resilience.

Publications

Books:
Hughes, Sara. 2019. "Repowering Cities: Governing Climate Change Mitigation in New York City, Los Angeles, and Toronto," Cornell University Press

Hughes, Sara, Eric Chu, and Susan Mason. 2018. "Climate Change in Cities: Innovations in Multilevel Governance," Springer Press

Selected Articles:
Sara Hughes, Samer Yordi, Laurel Besco. 2018. “The Role of Pilot Projects in Urban Climate Change Policy Innovation,” Policy Studies Journal

Sara Hughes, Daniel Miller Runfola, Benjamin Cormier. 2018. “Issue Proximity and Policy Response of Local Governments,” Review of Policy Research, Vol. 35(2): 192-212.

James J. Patterson, Thomas Thaler, Matthew Hoffmann, Sara Hughes, Angela Oels, Eric Chu, Aysem Mert, Dave Huitema, Sarah Burch, and Andy Jordan. 2018. “Political Feasibility of 1.5°C Societal Transformations: The Role of Social Justice,” Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 31:1-9.

Sara Hughes. 2015. “A Meta-Analysis of Urban Climate Change Adaptation Planning in the U.S.,” Urban Climate, Special Issue: Building Capacity for Urban Climate Change Adaptation. Vol 14: 17-29.

Sara Hughes, Stephanie Pincetl and Christopher Boone. 2013. “Understanding Major Urban Transitions: Drivers and Dynamics in the City of Los Angeles,” Cities: The International Journal of Urban Policy and Planning 32: 51-59.

Sara Hughes. 2012. “Voluntary Environmental Programs in the Public Sector: Evaluation of an Urban Water Conservation Program in California,” Policy Studies Journal 40(4): 650- 673.

Research

"Policy Learning from the Flint Water Crisis," Social Science and Humanities Research Council Insight Development Grant, 2018-2020 ($54,292)

University of Michigan Poverty Solutions, 2020-2021: "Understanding How Poverty Affects Water Affordability in Detroit"

University of Michigan Graham Sustainability Institute, 2020-2021: "Supporting Justice in Urban Climate Change Adaptation"

Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Insight Grant (Collaborator): "The 100 Resilient Cities Initiative: A Natural Experiment in the Politics of Creating a Sustainable World"

"Waste Not: Closing the Loop on Organic Waste," University of Minnesota MNDrive, Co-Principal Investigator, 2014-2016 ($422,972)

Education

PhD in Environmental Science and Management from the University of California, Santa Barbara

In the News
Women's history month
March 8, 2021

Women’s History Month: Perspectives from SEAS Women in Sustainability

In honor of Women’s History Month, we asked our women faculty and researchers to share their perspectives as members of the sustainability field and to offer advice to...

U-M SEAS Prof. Sara Hughes Awarded NSF Grant to Study Link Between Financial Stress and Drinking Water Decisions
March 1, 2021

Prof. Sara Hughes Awarded NSF Grant to Study Link Between Financial Stress and Drinking Water Decisions

SEAS Assistant Professor Sara Hughes has been awarded a three-year, $420,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund a project that will study how...

Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, others charged in Flint water crisis: U-M experts available
January 14, 2021

Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, others charged in Flint water crisis: U-M experts available

EXPERTS ADVISORY University of Michigan experts are available to discuss charges filed against former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and several other former state and city...

Could the Flint water crisis happen somewhere else?
December 16, 2020

Gala Case Study: Could the Flint Water Crisis Happen Somewhere Else?

The decisions and conditions that led to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, are also present in cities across the country. To engage deeper discussion on the issue, Dr...

Accountability and Data-Driven Urban Climate Governance
November 17, 2020

Accountability and Data-Driven Urban Climate Governance

As city governments increasingly develop policies and programs designed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adapt to the consequences of climate change, it...

flint water tower
July 13, 2020

Simultaneous, reinforcing policy failures led to Flint water crisis, providing lessons during pandemic

Concurrent failures of federal drinking water standards and Michigan’s emergency manager law reinforced and magnified each other, leading to the Flint water crisis...

Uganda Taxi Moto
May 28, 2020

SEAS Faculty, Students Awarded 2020 Graham Catalyst Grants

U-M’s Graham Sustainability Institute has announced the recipients of its 2020 Catalyst Grants, which include members of the SEAS community. Catalyst Grants are awarded...

In the Media
04/05/2021
In Broad Strokes, Biden Infrastructure Plan Sketches a Future for Federal Water Spending (Great Lakes Now)
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