Browsing by Author "Dunkel, Eveliina"

Urban areas have a central role in human’s impacts on the planet. A persistent, fundamental and systemic transformation of urban areas to be more sustainable is a widely recognized pursuit. Involving a variety of stakeholders in decision-making and discussing how, why, and to whose benefit urban areas should be changed is central for governing urban transformations. The study elaborates which features and negotiations key stakeholders relate to sustainable urban transformation. This is done through a frame analysis, and a serious game is used in data collection to facilitate discussion between participants. The results of this study show how urban sustainability and transformation can be framed in many ways that highlight different aspects. Role of private businesses, a competitive setting between cities, trust between different groups and accountability to citizens are elaborated in the negotiations on sustainable urban areas. Urban transformation is discussed especially related to low-carbon traffic, greening urban areas, preventing climate-change related flooding, adding possibilities to participate decision-making and more adaptive city planning. The study concludes that open communication between stakeholders of urban transformation is crucial to build trust and understanding between groups, but demand for openness may contradict with the interest for urban areas to appear in good light to and desirable for businesses and new residents.