Projects, participation and planning across boundaries in Göttingen

Abstract

Across Europe, local and regional authorities with limited statutory resources face a diverse range of challenges. A major concern is the need to address complex, trans-boundary issues such as climate change and the pursuit of sustainable development. Cooperation over administrative boundaries may be essential to ensure a transition towards local and regional transportation systems that have reduced climate impacts and support broader sustainability objectives. This paper fills a gap in the literature by illustrating how local and regional authorities use project funding to support initiatives to mitigate climate change, with a particular focus on the role of mobility and transport. Transport accounts for around 25% of greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union (EU)-almost 73% is caused by road transport, which is also the main cause of air pollution in urban areas (EU, 2017). ABSTRACT this paper explores efforts to coordinate strategies promoting sustainable development-with specific focus on mobility and transport in climate change mitigation-across administrative boundaries in the city and county of göttingen, germany. the paper questions the possibility to develop and align strategic objectives and implementation across administrative boundaries when relying on short-term project funds. the experiences of key stakeholders in göttingen are presented, with reference to empirical data from a document and interview study. Results indicate that reliance on short-term, project-based funding from external sources offers both opportunities and challenges for locally and regionally integrated strategy formulation and implementation. Five factors shaping the strategy space of actors are used to frame the analysis, with findings suggesting the need for further research on how local authorities overcome capacity and resource limitations, particularly with respect to complex challenges such as climate change.

How Can ‘Ordinary’ Cities Become Climate Pioneers?

“…This section explores how two 'ordinary' cities in Germany: Göttingen (120.000 inhabitants) and Remscheid (110.000 inhabitants) became climate pioneers. Our discussion of Göttingen draws heavily on Fenton and Paschek's (2018) study, which was based on five expert interviews and an analysis of key strategic documents. We undertook 11 fieldwork interviews in Remscheid ourselves, and also conducted extensive analysis of relevant documentation (see Haupt & Kern, 2020 for a more detailed examination of this case).…”

“…Göttingen does exhibit some features of a typical pioneer: it is a university city with a young and well-educated population. Nevertheless, an examination of the city's climate action revealed a high degree of capacity deficits and a severe lack of municipal resources (Fenton & Paschek, 2018). For its part, the shrinking industrial city of Remscheid, with its very high municipal debt and the resulting capacity constraints, is a textbook example of a likely laggard (Haupt & Kern, 2020).…”

“…To cope with their rather unfavourable environments for pioneering climate policies, both cities needed to look for alternative creative approaches. Most importantly, Göttingen and Remscheid collaborated with local key actors (such as universities) to bid successfully for thirdparty funding and participate in temporary projects (Fenton & Paschek, 2018;Haupt & Kern, 2020). This has given Remscheid access to crucial knowledge for developing its climate policy (e.g.…”

“…Indeed, all of the city's climaterelated strategies (mitigation, adaptation, mobility) were developed as (Haupt & Kern, 2020). Similarly, Göttingen's mitigation strategies and climate traffic plan would not have come about without external funding (Fenton & Paschek, 2018). Moreover, the city succeeded in a competitive tender process to participate in the 'Master plan 100% Climate Protection' funding programme that financially supports the development of mitigation plans aiming at climate neutrality by the year 2050.…”

“…Nevertheless, dependency on third-party funds can lead to uncertainties in mid-term and long-term planning, because externally-funded initiatives are often difficult to sustain after projects are completed. Conscious of this risk, Göttingen has sought to increase public participation in decision-making and policy formulation, in the hope that this will create capacity within the city to maintain momentum (Fenton & Paschek, 2018). In Remscheid, the reliance on external funding had a detrimental impact on the setting of ambitious long-term climate goals and developing holistic visions for the future (Haupt & Kern, 2020).…”