Concluding Discussion – Input Mike Hodson – SURF Centre, University of Salford, UK Politics and Governance in Sustainable Socio- Technical Transitions – Schloss Blankensee/Berlin, September 2007

1. The role of cities and regions in system innovations and transitions? How currently viewed? –Multiplicity of contexts – national, regional, cities, sectors, projects, practices –Questions about the relationships between different scales and contexts of governance Asymmetrical power relations –Where do cities and regions fit? As sites for ‘receiving’ transition initiatives but also as contexts for more purposive transition? –Translating national priorities or developing city level priorities? If the former – raises about translation of national priorities If the latter – who shapes vision? ‘Connecting’ expertise and democracy at a city scale? –Role of cities and regions is uncertain, fragmented and often implicit

2. Why does this matter? What if ‘societal problems’ are constructed at city and regional scale? E.g. –Cities as producers of GG emissions – 78% –Cities as suffering the consequences of global warming –Cities as providing novel socio-technical responses Addressing this…emerging agenda –World cities developing targets that outstrip national government –Aspirations for ‘self-sufficient’ infrastructures and withdrawal from national provision –At the same time ‘by-passing’ national government and building networks with other world cities and MNCs

3. A different view on cities and regions Challenges in developing a notion of urban transitions –Recognising the redistribution of responsibilities across scales –New coalitions of social interests coalescing around cities and regions –Particular places are privileged - understanding the differential capacity to act of cities and regions – place and agency As regimes? As niches? As systems? As context for projects? –Requires further conceptual and empirical work