IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v8y2016i2p144-d63440.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Cities and Systemic Change for Sustainability: Prevailing Epistemologies and an Emerging Research Agenda

Author

Listed:
  • Marc Wolfram

    (Department of Urban Planning and Engineering, Yonsei University, Seodaemun-gu, Sincheon-dong, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seoul 03722, Korea)

  • Niki Frantzeskaki

    (Dutch Research Institute for Transitions, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Postbus 1738, Rotterdam 3000 DR, The Netherlands)

Abstract

Cities are key for sustainability and the radical systemic changes required to enable equitable human development within planetary boundaries. Their particular role in this regard has become the subject of an emerging and highly interdisciplinary scientific debate. Drawing on a qualitative literature review, this paper identifies and scrutinizes the principal fields involved, asking for their respective normative orientation, interdisciplinary constitution, theories and methods used, and empirical basis to provide orientations for future research. It recognizes four salient research epistemologies, each focusing on a distinct combination of drivers of change: (A) transforming urban metabolisms and political ecologies; (B) configuring urban innovation systems for green economies; (C) building adaptive urban communities and ecosystems; and (D) empowering urban grassroots niches and social innovation. The findings suggest that future research directed at cities and systemic change towards sustainability should (1) explore interrelations between the above epistemologies, using relational geography and governance theory as boundary areas; (2) conceive of cities as places shaped by and shaping interactions between multiple socio-technical and social-ecological systems; (3) focus on agency across systems and drivers of change, and develop corresponding approaches for intervention and experimentation; and (4) rebalance the empirical basis and methods employed, strengthening transdisciplinarity in particular.

Suggested Citation

  • Marc Wolfram & Niki Frantzeskaki, 2016. "Cities and Systemic Change for Sustainability: Prevailing Epistemologies and an Emerging Research Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-18, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:8:y:2016:i:2:p:144-:d:63440
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/2/144/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/2/144/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Brenner, Neil, 2004. "New State Spaces: Urban Governance and the Rescaling of Statehood," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199270064.
    2. Bernhard Truffer & Lars Coenen, 2012. "Environmental Innovation and Sustainability Transitions in Regional Studies," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(1), pages 1-21, November.
    3. Robert Young, 2010. "The greening of Chicago: environmental leaders and organisational learning in the transition toward a sustainable metropolitan region," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(8), pages 1051-1068.
    4. Geels, Frank W., 2010. "Ontologies, socio-technical transitions (to sustainability), and the multi-level perspective," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 495-510, May.
    5. Philip Cooke & Dieter Rehfeld, 2011. "Path Dependence and New Paths in Regional Evolution: In Search of the Role of Culture," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(11), pages 1909-1929, August.
    6. Späth, Philipp & Rohracher, Harald, 2010. "'Energy regions': The transformative power of regional discourses on socio-technical futures," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 449-458, May.
    7. Shove, Elizabeth & Walker, Gordon, 2010. "Governing transitions in the sustainability of everyday life," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 471-476, May.
    8. Yvonne Rydin & Catalina Turcu & Simon Guy & Patrick Austin, 2013. "Mapping the Coevolution of Urban Energy Systems: Pathways of Change," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 45(3), pages 634-649, March.
    9. Hagelskjær Lauridsen, Erik & Stissing Jensen, Jens, 2013. "The strictest energy requirements in the world: An analysis of the path dependencies of a self-proclaimed success," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 97-104.
    10. Ulrich Dewald & Bernhard Truffer, 2011. "The Local Sources of Market Formation: Explaining Regional Growth Differentials in German Photovoltaic Markets," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(3), pages 397-420, March.
    11. Geels, Frank W., 2002. "Technological transitions as evolutionary reconfiguration processes: a multi-level perspective and a case-study," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(8-9), pages 1257-1274, December.
    12. Quitzau, Maj-Britt & Hoffmann, Birgitte & Elle, Morten, 2012. "Local niche planning and its strategic implications for implementation of energy-efficient technology," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 79(6), pages 1049-1058.
    13. Luís Carvalho & Giuliano Mingardo & Jeroen Van Haaren, 2011. "Green Urban Transport Policies and Cleantech Innovations: Evidence from Curitiba, Göteborg and Hamburg," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(3), pages 375-396, February.
    14. Michael Hodson & Simon Marvin & Harriet Bulkeley, 2013. "The Intermediary Organisation of Low Carbon Cities: A Comparative Analysis of Transitions in Greater London and Greater Manchester," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 50(7), pages 1403-1422, May.
    15. Matthias Ruth (ed.), 2006. "Smart Growth and Climate Change," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 3938.
    16. Jochen Monstadt, 2009. "Conceptualizing the Political Ecology of Urban Infrastructures: Insights from Technology and Urban Studies," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 41(8), pages 1924-1942, August.
    17. Bergek, Anna & Jacobsson, Staffan & Carlsson, Bo & Lindmark, Sven & Rickne, Annika, 2008. "Analyzing the functional dynamics of technological innovation systems: A scheme of analysis," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 407-429, April.
    18. Sarah Burch & Alison Shaw & Ann Dale & John Robinson, 2014. "Triggering transformative change: a development path approach to climate change response in communities," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(4), pages 467-487, July.
    19. Hodson, Mike & Marvin, Simon, 2010. "Can cities shape socio-technical transitions and how would we know if they were?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 477-485, May.
    20. Brandt, Patric & Ernst, Anna & Gralla, Fabienne & Luederitz, Christopher & Lang, Daniel J. & Newig, Jens & Reinert, Florian & Abson, David J. & von Wehrden, Henrik, 2013. "A review of transdisciplinary research in sustainability science," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 1-15.
    21. Mulugetta, Yacob & Jackson, Tim & van der Horst, Dan, 2010. "Carbon reduction at community scale," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(12), pages 7541-7545, December.
    22. Smith, Adrian & Voß, Jan-Peter & Grin, John, 2010. "Innovation studies and sustainability transitions: The allure of the multi-level perspective and its challenges," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 435-448, May.
    23. Rob Roggema & Tim Vermeend & Andy Van den Dobbelsteen, 2012. "Incremental Change, Transition or Transformation? Optimising Change Pathways for Climate Adaptation in Spatial Planning," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 4(10), pages 1-25, October.
    24. Peter North & Noel Longhurst, 2013. "Grassroots Localisation? The Scalar Potential of and Limits of the ‘Transition’ Approach to Climate Change and Resource Constraint," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 50(7), pages 1423-1438, May.
    25. Bridge, Gavin & Bouzarovski, Stefan & Bradshaw, Michael & Eyre, Nick, 2013. "Geographies of energy transition: Space, place and the low-carbon economy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 331-340.
    26. Gavin Brown & Peter Kraftl & Jenny Pickerill & Caroline Upton, 2012. "Holding the Future Together: Towards a Theorisation of the Spaces and Times of Transition," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 44(7), pages 1607-1623, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hansen , Teis & Coenen , Lars, 2013. "The Geography of Sustainability Transitions: A Literature Review," Papers in Innovation Studies 2013/39, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    2. Mattes, Jannika & Huber, Andreas & Koehrsen, Jens, 2015. "Energy transitions in small-scale regions – What we can learn from a regional innovation systems perspective," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 255-264.
    3. Broto, Vanesa Castán, 2017. "Energy landscapes and urban trajectories towards sustainability," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 755-764.
    4. Coenen, Lars & Benneworth, Paul & Truffer, Bernhard, 2012. "Toward a spatial perspective on sustainability transitions," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(6), pages 968-979.
    5. Fuenfschilling, Lea & Binz, Christian, 2017. "Global socio-technical regimes," Papers in Innovation Studies 2017/1, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    6. Jenkins, Kirsten & Sovacool, Benjamin K. & McCauley, Darren, 2018. "Humanizing sociotechnical transitions through energy justice: An ethical framework for global transformative change," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 66-74.
    7. Lisa-Britt Fischer & Jens Newig, 2016. "Importance of Actors and Agency in Sustainability Transitions: A Systematic Exploration of the Literature," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(5), pages 1-21, May.
    8. Markard, Jochen & Raven, Rob & Truffer, Bernhard, 2012. "Sustainability transitions: An emerging field of research and its prospects," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(6), pages 955-967.
    9. Mike Hodson & Frank W. Geels & Andy McMeekin, 2017. "Reconfiguring Urban Sustainability Transitions, Analysing Multiplicity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-20, February.
    10. Cheng Wang & Tao Lv & Rongjiang Cai & Jianfeng Xu & Liya Wang, 2022. "Bibliometric Analysis of Multi-Level Perspective on Sustainability Transition Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-31, March.
    11. Pesch, Udo, 2015. "Tracing discursive space: Agency and change in sustainability transitions," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 90(PB), pages 379-388.
    12. Francisco Chicombo, Adélia Filosa & Musango, Josephine Kaviti, 2022. "Towards a theoretical framework for gendered energy transition at the urban household level: A case of Mozambique," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    13. Yekang Ko & Brendan F. D. Barrett & Andrea E. Copping & Ayyoob Sharifi & Masaru Yarime & Xin Wang, 2019. "Energy Transitions Towards Low Carbon Resilience: Evaluation of Disaster-Triggered Local and Regional Cases," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-23, November.
    14. Coenen, Lars & Grillitsch, Markus & Hansen, Teis & Moodysson, Jerker, 2017. "An innovation system framework for system innovation policy: the case of Strategic Innovation Programs (SIPs) in Sweden," Papers in Innovation Studies 2017/8, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    15. Griet Juwet & Michael Ryckewaert, 2018. "Energy Transition in the Nebular City: Connecting Transition Thinking, Metabolism Studies, and Urban Design," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-20, March.
    16. Zolfagharian, Mohammadreza & Walrave, Bob & Raven, Rob & Romme, A. Georges L., 2019. "Studying transitions: Past, present, and future," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(9), pages 1-1.
    17. Jonathan Rutherford & Olivier Coutard, 2014. "Urban Energy Transitions: Places, Processes and Politics of Socio-technical Change," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(7), pages 1353-1377, May.
    18. Fuenfschilling, Lea & Truffer, Bernhard, 2014. "The structuration of socio-technical regimes—Conceptual foundations from institutional theory," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(4), pages 772-791.
    19. Sebastian Fastenrath & Boris Braun, 2018. "Lost in Transition? Directions for an Economic Geography of Urban Sustainability Transitions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-17, July.
    20. Hamid El Bilali, 2020. "Transition heuristic frameworks in research on agro-food sustainability transitions," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 1693-1728, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:8:y:2016:i:2:p:144-:d:63440. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.