Publications & writing.

Book

Gordon, David J. (2020). Cities on the World Stage: The Politics of Global Urban Climate Governance. Cambridge University Press.

View the book at Cambridge University Press ↗

Journal articles & scholarly commentary

• 2025
  Leffel, B., D. Gordon, and T. Lee. “Explaining policy teaching versus learning in environmental transnational municipal networks: The case of the Kitakyushu Initiative.” Journal of Urban Affairs. 1–20 Read ↗
• 2024
  Acuto, M., D. Pejic, S. Mokhles, B. Leffel, D. Gordon, R. Martinez, S. Cortes, and C. Oke. “What three decades of city-networks tell us about city diplomacy’s potential for climate action.” Nature Cities. 1: 451–456 Read ↗
• 2024
  Gordon, D.. “Political economy of just urban transition.” Nature Climate Change. 14: 208–209 Read ↗
• 2024
  Gordon, D.. “Global Politics Through the Looking Glass: The Lasting Influence of ‘Cities and Climate Change’.” Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space. Short symposium contribution Read ↗
• 2022
  Gordon, D., and K. Ljungkvist. “Theorizing the Globally Engaged City in World Politics.” European Journal of International Relations. 28(1): 58–82 Read ↗
• 2019
  Gordon, D., and C. Johnson. “From there to here and beyond: A friendly rejoinder to Davidson et al..” Global Policy. 10(4): 715–717
• 2019
  Hsu, A., N. Höhne, T. Kuramochi, M. Roelfsema, A. Weinfurter, Y. Xie, K. Lütkehermöller, S. Chan, J. Corfee-Morlot, P. Drost, P. Faria, A. Gardiner, D. Gordon, T. Hale, N. Hultman, J. Moorhead, S. Reuvers, J. Setzer, N. Singh, C. Weber, and O. Widerberg. “A research roadmap for quantifying non-state and subnational climate mitigation action.” Nature Climate Change. 9: 11–17
• 2018
  Romero-Lankao, P., H. Bulkeley, M. Pelling, S. Burch, D. Gordon, C. Johnson, P. Kurian, E. Lecavalier, D. Simon, L. Tozer, G. Ziervogel, and D. Munshi. “Realizing the urban transformative potential in a changing climate.” Nature Climate Change. 8: 754–761 Read ↗
• 2018
  Gordon, D.. “Global urban climate governance in three and a half parts: Experimentation, coordination, integration, (contestation).” WIREs Climate Change. 9(6): 1–15 Read ↗
• 2018
  Gordon, D., and C. Johnson. “City-networks, global climate governance, and the road to 1.5°C.” Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. 30: 35–41 Read ↗
• 2017
  Gordon, D., and C. Johnson. “The orchestration of global urban climate governance: conducting power in the post-Paris climate regime.” Environmental Politics. 26(4): 694–714 Read ↗
• 2016
  Gordon, D.. “The politics of accountability in networked urban climate governance.” Global Environmental Politics. 16(2): 82–100 Read ↗
• 2016
  Gordon, D.. “Lament for a network? Cities and networked climate governance in Canada.” Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy. 34(3): 529–545
• 2015
  Gordon, D.. “An uneasy equilibrium: The coordination of climate governance in federated systems.” Global Environmental Politics. 15(2): 121–141
• 2013
  Gordon, D.. “Between local innovation and global impact: Cities, networks and the governance of climate change.” Canadian Foreign Policy Journal. 19(3): 288–307; recipient of Maureen Molot Prize
• 2009
  Gordon, D., A. Crane-Droesch, A. Mershon, and P. Kurukulasuriya. “L’approche programmatique de l’adaptation communautaire: Le levier des projets locaux pour un effet global.” Liaison Énergie-Francophonie. 85(9): 135–137

Book chapters

• 2026
  Gordon, D., and H. McLaughlin. “Cities and Climate Change.” In De Gruyter Handbook of Cities, Infrastructure and International Relations. Edited by M. Acuto, S. Curtis, I. Klaus, and G. Morales. De Gruyter. Final published title (the attached CV uses an earlier title).
• 2026
  Gordon, D.. “The double-movement of data-driven urban climate governance.” In Research Handbook on Climate Change Law and Cities. Edited by A. du Plessis, C. Zengerling, O. Fuo, and D. Sotto. Edward Elgar. In press.
• 2020
  Lecavalier, E., and D. Gordon. “Beyond networking? The agency of city network secretariats in the realm of city diplomacy.” In City Diplomacy: Current Trends and Future Prospects. Edited by S. Amiri and E. Sevin. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 13–36.
• 2019
  Gordon, D.. “Unpacking agency in global urban climate governance: City-networks as actors, agents, and arenas.” In Urban Climate Politics: Agency and Empowerment. Edited by J. van der Heijden, H. Bulkeley, and C. Certomà. Cambridge University Press, pp. 21–38.
• 2017
  Gordon, D., and M. Paterson. “Climate change and international politics.” In Issues in 21st Century World Politics. Edited by M. Beeson and N. Bisley. Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 141–156.
• 2015
  Gordon, D., and M. Acuto. “If cities are the solution, what are the problems? The promise and perils of urban climate leadership.” In The Urban Climate Challenge: Rethinking the Role of Cities in the Global Climate Regime. Edited by C. Johnson, H. Schroeder, and N. Toly. Routledge, pp. 63–81.
• 2014
  Gordon, D., and D. Macdonald. “Institutions and federal climate change governance: A comparison of intergovernmental coordination in Australia and Canada.” In Multilevel Environmental Governance: Managing Water and Climate Change in Europe and North America. Edited by I. Weibust and J. Meadowcroft. Edward Elgar.

Working papers & policy reports

• 2026
  Gordon, D.. From actor-ness to agency: Exploring the conditions for politicizing cities as global climate governors. Sciences Po LIEPP Working Paper No. 191.
• 2014
  Gordon, D.. Market-based instruments, climate change, and sustainable transportation governance in cities. Sustainable Prosperity Research Report.
• 2014
  Gordon, D.. Climate change and transportation governance: Looking for lessons in New York City, London, and Paris. Sustainable Prosperity Research Report.
• 2013
  Macdonald, D., D. Gordon, K. Kern, J. Monstadt, S. Scheiner, A. Pristupa, A. Hayden, and A. Bidordinova. Emissions allocation amongst jurisdictions in four federal systems: Recommendations for reforming Canadian institutions of climate governance. University of Toronto, Centre for Environment.
• 2013
  Bernstein, S., M. Hoffmann, B. J. Evans, D. Gordon, and H. van der Ven. Creating pathways to decarbonization. Munk School of Global Affairs, Environmental Governance Lab, workshop report.
• 2009
  Gordon, D., A. Crane-Droesch, A. Mershon, and P. Kurukulasuriya. Benefits of programmatic CBA: Leverage local projects for global impact. UNDP internal report.

Curriculum Vitae

Full academic CV available on request. Please email me to request a copy ↗.