The Interplay of Urban Energy Policy and Socio-technical Transitions: The Eco-cities of Graz and Freiburg in Retrospect

Abstract

The cities of Graz in Austria and Freiburg in Germany have been perceived as ecological model cities since the late 1980s.This is shown by various international awards, press coverage and many visitors from other municipal administrations. Both cities have been well known for their attempts to bring about transitions towards more sustainable and low-carbon energy systems. The comparison of Graz and Freiburg over a period of two decades enables us to study how differing contexts, actor constellations and historic developments shape the transformation of energy systems towards greater sustainability. It is argued that understanding the role of cities for energy transitions requires a detailed examination of the coupled dynamics of socio-technical interactions across the levels of niches, regimes and landscapes on the one hand, and multilevel systems of governance on the other. At these intersections new, although spatially confined, socio-technical constellations of sustainable energy provision may emerge and be stabilised. Nevertheless, empirical evidence shows that it is misleading to conclude that true socio-technical transitions are taking place in these cities, even though a number of foundations for long-term change processes have been laid.

The geography of sustainability transitions: Review, synthesis and reflections on an emergent research field

“…Hodson and Marvin (2009; Lagendijk and Boertjes (2013); Maassen (2012); McCauley and Stephens (2012); Monstadt (2007Monstadt ( , 2009 ;Quitzau et al (2012); Rohracher and Späth (2014); Shove and Walker (2007);Smith (2007a); Rohracher (2010, 2012); Truffer and Coenen (2012) Rohracher (2010, 2012); Truffer and Coenen (2012); Wirth et al (2013) institutions  Niche formation is embedded in localised social practices  Informal localised institutions positively influence the regulatory push on the development and adoption of environmental regulation  Importance of recognising differences in informal institutions even within local or urban territories, resulting in struggles over sustainability visions Local natural resource endowments Bridge et al (2013) A quite large number of studies examine the central role of urban and regional visions and policies (the edited volumes by Bulkeley et al 2011; 2014 take a prominent position in this literature). While these contributions have a main focus on the urban and regional levels, the importance of connections to other policy levels is evident, with some authors taking an explicitly multi-level governance perspective Marvin 2010, 2012;Rohracher 2010, 2012;Uyarra and Gee 2013).…”

The role of higher education institutions in regional transition paths towards sustainability

“…Empirical studies show that at the regional level actors initiate more general institutional and organisational changes that lay the foundation for changes in multiple socio-technical regimes and thematic areas. Over time, incremental changes can this way lead to a more fundamental change in direction of a regional path towards sustainability (Rohracher and Späth 2014;Strambach and Pflitsch 2017). Different elements necessary for a socio-technical transition including actors, knowledge, materials, power etc.…”

“…Therefore Truffer and Coenen (2012, p. 11) have pointed out that: "(...) a critical examination of transition spaces would not stop at the administrative borders of territorial units (regions, nations) but would require attention for spatial dimensions and implications of sustainability transitions 'wherever they may lead'." This is based on a relational understanding of space, in which territorial scales are constituted through actor relations and not through simple geographical hierarchies Rohracher and Späth 2014). Hence in a regional transition actors may interact on multiple geographical scales, leading to a momentum of "interlocalization" (Geels and Deuten 2006), that is, "a point in the transition when formerly local actors are able to exert greater influence on a regime as the scope and extent of their influence consolidates and institutionalizes" (Coenen et al 2012, p. 975).…”

Multiple transformations: theorizing energy vulnerability as a socio-spatial phenomenon

“…Despite using spatial metaphors, however, the MLP has been criticized for failing to provide 'formal attention to space, place and geographical scale' (Bridge et al 2013, 333), resulting in efforts to think about energy transitions through an explicitly spatial heuristic. Correspondingly, the notion of 'energy landscape' -as a set of interconnected social, material and cultural elements nested in notions of place, community and identity -has been employed to highlight the mechanisms through which energy flows are spatially embedded while integrating social and physical systems (Blaschke et al 2013;Bouzarovski 2009;Castán Broto, Salazar, and Adams 2014;Soini et al 2011); and studies of urban energy policies have highlighted the presence of specific socio-technical constellations and power dynamics within the built structures of cities (Bulkeley, Luque-Ayala, and Silver 2014;Rohracher and Späth 2014).…”