Enabling environments for regime destabilization towards sustainable urban transitions in megacities: comparing Shanghai and Istanbul

Mahir Yazar (), Dina Hestad, Diana Mangalagiu, Yuge Ma, Thomas F Thornton, Ali Kerem Saysel and Dajian Zhu
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Mahir Yazar: Environmental Social Science Program, Arizona State University
Dina Hestad: Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford
Diana Mangalagiu: NEOMA Business School
Yuge Ma: Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford
Thomas F Thornton: Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford
Ali Kerem Saysel: Boğaziçi University
Dajian Zhu: Tongji University

Climatic Change, 2020, vol. 160, issue 4, No 15, 727-752

Abstract: Abstract Sustainable urban transitions promise high mitigation and adaptation potential to address the effects of anthropogenic climate change. The two coastal megacities studied in this paper, Shanghai and Istanbul, have the potential for low-carbon urban transitions that can destabilize existing regimes. The destabilization is brought about by the disruptive business model innovations of the sharing economy in Shanghai’s mobility sector and by the energy-efficient practices developed alongside the intensification of the building sector through the process of urban renewal in Istanbul. However, the emergence of such urban transitions through the actions of agents relies on the existence of enabling environments for regime destabilization. In a comparative case study of Shanghai and Istanbul, we assess the challenges of realizing regime destabilization opportunities through an enabling environment framework. We find that without adequate enabling environments for regime destabilization, urban transitions to sustainability may fail to achieve effective low-carbon action and make progress towards meeting the sustainable development goals. We also show that while deliberate and collective efforts are underway from multiple agents within and beyond the two megacities, the environments for regime destabilization in the building and transport sectors considered remain insufficient primarily due to conflicting priorities among key agents in the underlying urban systems.

Keywords: Megacity; Urban sustainable transitions; Regime destabilization; Agency; Enabling environment; Istanbul; Shanghai (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10584-020-02726-1

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