Concluding Discussion

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Concluding Discussion InputMike Hodson SURF
Centre, University of Salford, UK

• Politics and Governance in Sustainable
  Socio-Technical Transitions
• Schloss Blankensee/Berlin, 19-21 September 2007

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1. The role of cities and regions in system
innovations and transitions?

• How currently viewed?
• Multiplicity of contexts national, regional,
  cities, sectors, projects, practices
• Questions about the relationships between
  different scales and contexts of governance
• Asymmetrical power relations
• Where do cities and regions fit? As sites for
  receiving transition initiatives but also as
  contexts for more purposive transition?
• Translating national priorities or developing
  city level priorities?
• If the former raises about translation of
  national priorities
• If the latter who shapes vision? Connecting
  expertise and democracy at a city scale?
• Role of cities and regions is uncertain,
  fragmented and often implicit

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2. Why does this matter?

• What if societal problems are constructed at
  city and regional scale? E.g.
• Cities as producers of GG emissions 78
• Cities as suffering the consequences of global
  warming
• Cities as providing novel socio-technical
  responses
• Addressing thisemerging agenda
• World cities developing targets that outstrip
  national government
• Aspirations for self-sufficient infrastructures
  and withdrawal from national provision
• At the same time by-passing national government
  and building networks with other world cities and
  MNCs

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3. A different view on cities and regions

• Challenges in developing a notion of urban
  transitions
• Recognising the redistribution of
  responsibilities across scales
• New coalitions of social interests coalescing
  around cities and regions
• Particular places are privileged - understanding
  the differential capacity to act of cities and
  regions place and agency
• As regimes?
• As niches?
• As systems?
• As context for projects?
• Requires further conceptual and empirical work