For cities to fully realize their potential for global climate action, a deep understanding regarding the governance of urban transformative change towards decarbonization is necessary. To contribute to this, the empirical analysis of the study relies on a mixed methods approach. It is composed of an international survey involving city governments as a macro-level approach, combined with in-depth case studies of three cities to provide complementary insights. These cities (Bonn, Quito and Cape Town) are considered proactive in climate action in their respective world regions.
The study contributes to theoretical and empirical discussions in the field of transformative urban governance by proposing a conceptual framework for the success dimensions of transformative change. It combines data from surveys and case studies, and addresses finance and impact assessments, the latter two of which are important government dimensions that are not often studied.