Overcoming Barriers to Making Cities More Sustainable: How Can Short-Term Thinking Help Achieve Long-Term Goals?

Abstract

Cities are critical to addressing sustainable development: over 50 % of us live in cities; they consume 75 % of global resources, over two thirds of all energy and account for 70 % of global CO₂ emissions. Cities have responded to this challenge with a large number committing to sustainable visions and/or initiatives such as the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group or ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability network. Whilst there are pockets of best practice, we are not seeing the speed or scale of change required in terms of resource use, carbon emissions or well-being. Cities are struggling to achieve long-term goals in the face of short-term pressures, capacities and practices such as budgeting, political cycles and procurement approaches. Rapid change and uncertainty, especially in technology, is also a challenge. This paper reviews the transition literature to identify and evaluate how transition theory can be used to understand and overcome this implementation gap. The findings show that the transition management model offers a promising approach but with significant weaknesses and gaps. However, these can be addressed by drawing on other theories and models of change. The paper concludes by proposing a new framework for change incorporating short-term processes, demand drivers and evaluation into the transition management model, and proposing areas for research.

Huxley, R. (2015) Overcoming barriers to making cities more sustainable: how can short-term thinking help achieve long-term goals? In; Gorse, C and Dastbaz, M (Eds.) International SEEDS Conference, 17–18 September 2015, Leeds Beckett University UK, Sustainable Ecological Engineering Design for Society.