Cities are important emitters of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and are at the same time vulnerable to the impact of climate change. However, cities are also hubs for innovation and experimentation with green solutions and technologies. It is therefore essential to make cities an integral part of reducing global GHG emissions and meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement.

If cities are to fulfil their potential in contributing to global climate action, this requires a thorough understanding of the governance that underlies planning, financing and management of urban areas and climate action. Transforming cities toward zero carbon is a highly complex endeavour. Transformative urban governance hence plays a crucial role in determining the strategic facilitation and successful outcome of the ambition to achieve carbon neutrality in cities.

While cities are places of dynamic change and innovative policy action, conceptual gaps and a critical shortage of empirical data in this particular field remain. With some exceptions, academic research at the interface of sustainable urban transformation and urban governance has suffered from siloed approaches and fragmentation among different scientific disciplines. Against this background, the present study aims at generating new insights into governance qualities that shape the transformation of cities.

The study explores the following principal research question: Which governance approaches facilitate successful transformative change towards zero carbon in cities? While “urban governance” is the planning, financing, and management of urban areas by both government (at different levels) and non-government stakeholders, “transformative urban governance” refers to governance aimed at bringing about fundamental systemic change that ultimately leads to zero-carbon emissions within a city. The study specifically addresses three key aspects of transformative urban governance: stakeholder involvement, financing, and impact assessment. While these three aspects do not cover the full range of urban governance, they refer to core areas that are frequently discussed in academic and policy debates.

To relate these governance aspects to transformative urban change, the study distinguishes three dimensions of transformation. CO2 reduction is a necessary ingredient of any effort towards zero emissions. Dynamics of transformation refers to the need to accelerate the process and move from individual projects to broad, systemic change. Finally, acceptance marks the need to gain the approval and support of citizens to make fundamental change both possible and sustainable.

The empirical analysis is based on a mixed methods approach. An international survey involving city government officials of cities that are proactive in the fight against climate change was conducted to get an overview of socio-ecological transformation paths. In addition to this macro-level approach, in-depth case studies of three cities that are widely regarded as proactive on climate issues in their respective world regions – Bonn, Quito and Cape Town – provide insights that help to contextualise the findings from the survey.