How might we re-imagine our experience of, and responses to, the climate-changed city? This paper explores this question by focusing on places and practices where people seek to reshape urban boundaries and connections in novel and surprising ways. We present findings from a qualitative study of local activist groups in four Australian metropolitan areas: Perth; Melbourne; Sydney; and South East Queensland. Taking a practice- based approach, six criteria were used for the selection of each of the groups: i] responsiveness to local conditions; ii] actions meet genuine needs; iii] empowerment of communities; iv] transformation of social/environmental relations; v] community involvement in strategies and initiatives; and vi] inclusion of the vulnerable and non-human. By gently teasing out the context- specific insights and cross-cutting themes, we learn from different modes of community action and resistance that challenge the current post-political environment, and highlight the different pathways and portals to change.

Michel Foucault emphasised the imperative of demonstrating that things could be otherwise—that the present set of circumstances is thoroughly contingent. Through resistance involving performance, art, documentary, community organising and storytelling, the residents of Waterloo are attempting to demonstrate that the renewal of their neighbourhood and the displacement of their community are not inevitabilities. The NSW government has proposed to demolish their public housing estate, relocating residents and replacing their community with a 'mixed-income' private-market housing development. This presentation will report on ethnographic research that has focused on the residents of Waterloo public housing engaged in the resistance and response to the renewal. Residents have used theatre, visual arts, storytelling, a documentary and a light project to reinforce the message that ‘we live here’ and ‘these are our homes’, disputing the government view of Waterloo as a place in need of renewal and revitalisation. Residents have drawn upon narratives, memories and personal attachments to refute governing mentalities which are quantitative and draw solely on positivist and neoliberal rationalities to determine the shape of the future city. The story of Waterloo is hopeful, as it demonstrates how creative activism is forcing real change in government strategies.

Climate justice activism emerges in multiple spaces, with individuals and groups pursuing strategies ranging from traditional organised activities to more diverse and spontaneous forms of ‘everyday’ activism. Much of this action has sought to articulate the connections between climate change and human rights, while also drawing attention to questions of rights and responsibilities. Beyond issue-based campaigns, however, there is a need to understand the contested sites of climate activism and the implications for justice. This paper draws on empirical research with activist and advocacy organisations in Hong Kong and Singapore – cities which offer unique political and institutional environments for mobilisation around climate justice. The paper reflects on the inherent contradictions associated with climate justice activism in these cities, and how questions of rights and responsibilities are considered. The paper argues that while the power of ‘everyday’ action and activism should not be overlooked, such explorations should be framed by a more nuanced understanding of how space and place come to matter in not only enabling urban climate activism but also in capturing dynamics of justice, care and responsibility in the city.

The Knitting Nannas Against Gas (KNAG), are a movement comprised primarily of older women who are resisting the development of coal seam gas (and other mining projects) across Australia. Beginning in 2012 with two solitary knitters bearing witness to exploratory coal seam gas activities in the NSW Northern Rivers, the movement has since expanded both nationally and internationally. Characterised by their colourful yellow and black paraphernalia, and iconic ‘knit ins’ at MP’s offices throughout the country, the Knitting Nannas are important actors in the resistance landscape. Crucially, their humour, creativity and carefully crafted politics can also help us to rethink the ways in which older women are performing resistance, particularly as actors who are often overlooked. The ways in which the Knitting Nannas also engage in encounter with others, and practice ‘Nanna Care’ during blockades and other resistance activities, has much to offer our understandings of the many forms that resistance can take. This paper draws on interviews with members of the Knitting Nannas Against Gas, and highlights their experiences and insights in outlining and enacting other possibilities for resistance, particularly when it comes to the ways that we think about performance, encounter and care in activism.