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The acceleration of transitions to urban sustainability: a case study of Brighton and Hove

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  • Rachael Durrant
  • Jacob Barnes
  • Florian Kern
  • Gordon Mackerron

Abstract

Cities raise major challenges and opportunities for achieving sustainability. Much literature on urban sustainability focuses on specific aspects such as planning practices, urban policy or the diffusion of more sustainable technologies or practices. However, attempts at understanding the mechanisms of structural change towards sustainability have resulted in the emergence of an interdisciplinary field of sustainability transitions research. Transitions research has developed a phase model of transitions in which predevelopment, take-off, acceleration and stabilization phases are distinguished. However, the acceleration phase has received limited attention so far. This is a crucial gap as policy-makers are keen to accelerate transitions. This paper aims to enhance our understanding of how local actions contribute towards accelerating urban sustainability transitions. It does so by testing an acceleration mechanisms framework through exploring the collective agency of local initiatives in urban sustainability transitions. Drawing on a case study of the city of Brighton and Hove (UK), the paper finds that despite favourable local political conditions, there is a lack of evidence of acceleration apart from in individual domains such as food or mobility. Progress is found to depend on the agency of initiatives to both scale up sustainable practices and embed these practices into local governance arrangements.

Suggested Citation

  • Rachael Durrant & Jacob Barnes & Florian Kern & Gordon Mackerron, 2018. "The acceleration of transitions to urban sustainability: a case study of Brighton and Hove," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(8), pages 1537-1558, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:eurpls:v:26:y:2018:i:8:p:1537-1558
    DOI: 10.1080/09654313.2018.1489783
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    Cited by:

    1. Attila Buzási & Bettina Szimonetta Jäger, 2021. "Exploratory Analysis of Urban Sustainability by Applying a Strategy-Based Tailor-Made Weighting Method," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-18, June.
    2. Adams, Clare & Frantzeskaki, Niki & Moglia, Magnus, 2023. "Mainstreaming nature-based solutions in cities: A systematic literature review and a proposal for facilitating urban transitions," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    3. Charlotte A. Spring & Robin Biddulph, 2020. "Capturing Waste or Capturing Innovation? Comparing Self-Organising Potentials of Surplus Food Redistribution Initiatives to Prevent Food Waste," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-19, May.
    4. Katariina Koistinen & Satu Teerikangas, 2021. "The Debate If Agents Matter vs. the System Matters in Sustainability Transitions—A Review of the Literature," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-32, March.

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