Sociology

Pure mathematics

Urban ecology

Mathematics

Social science

Political ecology

Biology

Politics

Agency (philosophy)

Epistemology

Philosophy

Materialism

Political science

Subjectivity

Ecology

Posthuman

Realm

Posthumanism

Urbanization

Field (mathematics)

Environmental ethics

Progress in Human Geography

Urban political ecology now finds itself at a crossroads between gradual marginalization or renewed intellectual impetus. Despite some recent critical re-evaluations of the field, there remain a series of conceptual tensions that have only been partially explored. I consider six issues in particular: the uncertain relations between urban political ecology and the biophysical sciences; the emergence of extended conceptions of agency and subjectivity; the redefinition of space, scale, and the urban realm; renewed interest in urban epidemiology; the delineation of urban ecological imaginaries; and finally, the emergence of evidentiary materialism as an alternative posthuman configuration to new materialist ontologies. I conclude that a conceptually enriched urban political ecology could play an enhanced role in critical environmental research.

Urban political ecology: a critical reconfiguration