CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2024
| Author | Jasmine Chakravarty |
|---|---|
| Title | Urban Futures in Focus: Imaginaries and Barriers for Urban Climate Neutrality in EU Mission Cities |
| Summary | Urban climate neutrality has emerged as a critical goal for sustainable urban development, with the European Union’s Cities Mission aiming to achieve 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030. However, the term “climate neutrality” holds diverse interpretations among stakeholders, leading to inconsistencies and potential negative outcomes. This study investigates the dominant sociotechnical imaginary for urban climate neutrality within the context of the Cities Mission, focusing on the cities of Stockholm and Amsterdam. It examines the key narratives contained in the dominant sociotechnical imaginary and perceived barriers to its implementation. Through qualitative research methods, including semi- structured interviews and document analysis, six key narratives and five categories of barriers were identified. The narratives are: (1) Sustainable mobility and transport, (2) Community engagement and just transition, (3) Frontrunners in urban climate action, (4) The city as an experiment, (5) Green economy and business innovation, and (6) The city as a complex system. Meanwhile, the identified barriers encompass: (1) legal and regulatory barriers, (2) policy-making and political barriers, (3) governance and administrative barriers, (4) financial and investment barriers, and (5) consumption and behaviour-change barriers. Findings reveal overlaps and contradictions between narratives suggesting opportunities for integrated policies. Furthermore, barriers are found to shape narratives, providing insights for adaptive strategies. Overall, the findings indicate that addressing legal, political, governance, financial, and behavioural barriers will help to facilitate the successful implementation of urban climate neutrality initiatives. |
| Supervisor | Wickenberg, Björn |
| Department | Environment Sciences and Policy MSc |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2024/chakravarty_jasmine.pdf |
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