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

• Published in: Environmental innovation and societal transitions Vol. 17; pp. 92 - 109
• Main Authors: Hansen, Teis, Coenen, Lars
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.12.2015
• Subjects: Annan samhällsvetenskap; Geography; Human Geography; Kulturgeografi; Other Social Sciences; Place; Samhällsvetenskap; Scale; Social and Economic Geography; Social och ekonomisk geografi; Social Sciences; Space; Sustainability transitions; Geography; Space; Scale; Sustainability transitions; Place
• ISSN: 2210-4224; 2210-4232
• DOI: 10.1016/j.eist.2014.11.001

•Synthesises insights on the importance of place specificity for sustainability transitions.•Highlights different perspectives on the role of the geography of inter-organisational relations.•Points to important future research areas within the field of the geography of sustainability transitions. This review covers the recent literature on the geography of sustainability transitions and takes stock with achieved theoretical and empirical insights. The review synthesises and reflects upon insights of relevance for sustainability transitions following from analyses of the importance of place specificity and the geography of inter-organisational relations. It is found that these contributions focus on the geography of niche development rather than regime dynamics, and that there is an emphasis on understanding the importance of place-specificity at the local level. While there is a wide consensus that place-specificity matters there is still little generalisable knowledge about how place-specificity matters for transitions. Most contributions add spatial sensitivity to frameworks from the transitions literature, but few studies suggest alternative frameworks to study sustainability transitions. To address this, the review suggests promising avenues for future research on the geography of sustainability transitions, drawing on recent theoretical advancements in economic geography.