Understanding the place-specific formation processes of sustainable urban experiments

Abstract

Cities are increasingly recognized as frontrunners in the transition to a more sustainable society due to their assembly of technology, resources, population, culture, and economics. This is, amongst others, visible from a global increase in urban actors collaborating to experiment with new sustainable configurations. These so-called sustainable urban experiments, embedded in a broader niche, are not confined to a specific spatial context but will rather emerge in complex ‘place bundles’, forming a global niche. However, the formation of a global niche is interrelated with local experimentation and is thereby locally rooted. A prime example is sustainable motorsports experiment Formula E. Formula E operates on a global scale with numerous multinational companies involved but is set in urban environments and the local regional context arguably influences the formation of such events. In other words, Formula E is a global sustainable urban experiment which is locally embedded. Considerable variation in the way a sustainable urban experiment is formed locally is likely to exist. The objective of this study was to complement strategic niche management and sustainable transitions literature by understanding the specific place-specific factors under which global sustainable urban experiments are formed.

For understanding the local variation in the formation of a global sustainable urban experiment, this study builds on the frameworks by Torrens et. al. (2019) and Hansen & Coenen (2015). Torrens et. al. (2019), described different processes under which sustainable urban experiments are formed: protection, connectivity, and conflict. Each process provides a different perspective on the learning, intermediation, and politics of experimentation. Hansen & Coenen (2019) identified place-specific factors influencing experiment formation. This study suggested the specific formation processes under which an experiment is formed are shaped by these place-specific factors (e.g., urban policies and informal institutions). This led to the following research question: “How do place-specific factors shape the processes of protection, connectivity and conflict in the formation of Formula E?”.

To understand the role these place-specific factors play in shaping the formation process of a sustainable urban experiment, a mixed method comparative case study of Formula E, an all-electric race car championship, was conducted. Sixteen cities, which hosted multiple Formula E events, were included in the sample. The results were obtained through a combination of qualitative desk research to understand the local formation process and quantitative indicators to discern the shape of the place-specific factors.

Findings empirically show considerable local variation in the formation of a global experiment and this variation could be characterized along three processes: protection, connectivity, and conflict. The results furthermore confirm the notion that place-specific factors shape the local formation process of a sustainable urban experiment. A formation process with a relative emphasis on connectivity dynamics is more likely to be present in cities which are strongly embedded in global networks. Cities which have formal and informal institutions representing a high degree of sustainability orientation tend to form experiments under contestation mechanisms (conflict process). Contrarily, protection mechanisms are more likely to occur in cities which have a limited orientation on sustainability. These results provide new theoretical insights on the influence of the local context on the formation and realisation of global sustainable urban experiments.