A B717 Captain reports that during climbout at about 11;500 feet; they heard a loud 'pop' followed by the sound of rushing air from the upper right corner of the First Officer's forward windshield. Emergency was declared and aircraft returned to field. Window had just been replaced in the hangar prior to departure.

Narrative

Maintenance had replaced First Officer's (FO) windshield in ZZZ. Upon climbout at about 11;500 feet; we heard a loud pop followed by the sound of rushing air from the window. We told ATC we needed to stop the climb at 12;000 feet to look at something. FO said he could feel air around the upper right portion of his window. I contacted Maintenance and told them what was going on; they said to return to ZZZ. I contacted Dispatch and they said the same. We told ATC we wanted a lower altitude and needed to return to field because of a windshield problem. I told flight attendants and passengers we were returning to ZZZ due to a windshield problem; I was not sure of the structural integrity of the window; so I felt the safest course of action was to get the airplane on the ground. I exercised my Captain's emergency authority and landed in ZZZ over 104;000 LBS at 109;500 LBS.I believe aircraft was rushed back into service because Maintenance said the window was not given time to cure. Maintenance was putting some type of tape around the window before departure to cover the sealant. The tape was listed as a short term watch in the Logbook. I called Maintenance Control before leaving to make sure that what was done; was correct with the windshield and tape. They said it was the proper procedure when not given time to cure. I feel that whatever happened to the window was probably a result of trying to rush the B717 back into service.