Transition Thinking Incorporated: Towards a New Discussion Framework on Sustainable Urban Projects

Abstract

Today, cities worldwide are engaged in urban projects and activities in a concerted drive towards sustainable development. However, the concept of "sustainable urban projects" is inherently normative, subjective and ambiguous. Furthermore, the popularity of sustainable urban initiatives does not guarantee that increased pressure on dominant unsustainable urban systems will occur. In this article, we argue that strong urban debates on these initiatives and on urban sustainability are required to facilitate and stimulate urban systems towards a more socially just and environmentally sustainable future. When we say "urban debates" we mean substantive talks and detailed discussions about the type of cities we want to live in and about a shared understanding of sustainable urban projects and how they affect urban systems. We aim to contribute to that objective by developing a discussion framework on sustainable urban projects that frames sustainable development as a challenge that concentrates on both ecological and social concerns and that avoids a sole reliance on technology fixes. But above all, we also incorporate insights and findings from transition thinking to focus on radical changes or transformations of urban systems and to acknowledge the importance of so-called "niches". In this article we describe the fundamentals, the surplus value and the utility of the framework. The article contains empirical material from a pilot-study in Ghent, Belgium.

The roots and routes of environmental and sustainability education policy research

“…Furthermore, the work done in ESE policy research -drawing on insights from educational and political theory -to criticise instrumental tendencies by conceptualising the political nature of sustainability issues (e.g., Rudsberg and Öhman 2010; Sund and Öhman 2014, Van Poeck et al 2014) shows a certain overlap and shared concerns with particular perspectives in sustainability science and transition studies that also question instrumental, managerial and mechanistic approaches to sustainability transitions (e.g., Paredis 2013;Devolder and Block 2015). As such, these research fields can be considered complementary and bear potential for mutual synergies.…”

Four Perspectives of Sustainability Applied to the Local Food Strategy of Ghent (Belgium): Need for a Cycle of Democratic Participation?

“…We argue that a context-driven approach is required, because each urban project or bottom-up initiative is unique. The history, physical context, policy situation and complexity of the urban food context are so specific in nature that it is difficult to assess how an urban project can contribute to a sustainability transition if it is based solely on certain standardized or uniform criteria [51]. A general reflection on this first step leads us to suggest that more or less independent working groups could form around the strategic goals.…”

“…It is unclear how these new relationships between citizens, businesses, and public authorities will progress in the future, and whether the different concerns that emerge will be dealt with in a careful and proper manner, as society transitions from a welfare state to a participation society [51]. It surely cannot be the intention that public authorities, under pressure from expenditure cuts, shift numerous (generally social) responsibilities onto citizens [54] or that "big society" serves to aggravate inequality.…”

“…Bulkeley and Castan-Broto [10] argue that a blurring of public and private authority is occurring. One example is urban sustainability experiments that create new urban political spaces within the city [51]. Hajer's concept of the energetic society [52] shows how change agents all over the world have taken initiatives for sustainable development.…”

A New Urban Agenda: Introduction to the Special Issue on “Sustainable Urban Development”

“…The article "Transition Thinking Incorporated: Towards a New Discussion Framework on Sustainable Urban Projects" [7] by Sophie Devolder and Thomas Block focuses on the concept of "sustainable urban projects" that is inherently normative, subjective and ambiguous. The researchers argue that the popularity of sustainable urban initiatives does not guarantee that increased pressure on dominant unsustainable urban systems will occur.…”