Capacity Factors for Urban Sustainability Transformations – The Eco-capital Suwon in South Korea

South Korean cities have experienced remarkable economic growth starting from the 1980s, characterised by energy-dependent models coupled with a rapid, dense urbanisation process. This growth model has incrementally induced carbon-intensive urban structures that have consequently produced socio-environmental degradation and severe challenges to sustainability. A range of efforts to solve such challenges has not succeeded in breaking strong path-dependencies on existing unsustainable structures, and this concern has raised the necessity to develop a new urban approach towards sustainability. Given that concern, a growing body of literature has endeavoured to understand the processes of ‘sustainability transformations’, and shares an underlying assumption that such change co-evolves with societal agency that collectively creates networks, within which decisions and strategies are developed, negotiated, and implemented. This recognition has raised the essential question about which factors are required for the agency to initiate and perform such transformations in the process of urban development. Against this background, this research aims to examine factors that critically influence the emergence of urban transformation processes by exploring interrelations that appear between them. In particular, the research focuses on the critical role of governance characteristics to influence the emergence of transformation factors. In order to explore the factors in practice, a case study is conducted through document analysis and in-depth interviews. The real-world case selected in this research is the Eco-capital Suwon in South Korea, a pioneering model of sustainability-oriented urban development that employs a set of transformative experiments across action domains. Additionally, this case is critical in that its wider context—in which a more state government-led, centralised practice is dominant—would generate abundant dynamics of interactions across administrative scale levels. In order to scrutinise the factors that are employed not only in the Eco-capital in general but more specifically in its different projects, the research selects three projects as the sub-cases based on the different governance characteristics, as well as action domains. The three selected projects cover the domains of (rain) water management, green transportation, and renewable (solar) energy, which display multiple, unique forms of participation of (inter)national/urban/neighbourhood-scale agency from the public and private sector, academia and research institutes, civil society, and Suwon’s individual citizens and residents. The research has derived the primary findings: 1) ‘Inclusive governance’ encompasses collaborative actor networks and partnerships; and 2) Intermediaries working across different domains and scale levels condition the emergence and characteristics of agency-related factors for urban transformations. The research makes a set of contributions not only to theoretical discussions on urban transformation, but also to policy and practice in urban governance and planning. First, the selected case and its analytical design help to display: 1) a less explored phenomenon where cross-scalar interactions are often constrained by wider political systems (‘why cross-scalar interactions could not occur’); and 2) a clearer understanding of the geographical unit that is advantageous for the emergence of multi-system transformations (where multi-system transformations could occur). Second, the empirical findings shed light on discussions surrounding urban transformation by verifying arguments about the significance of governance characteristics. In addition, the case analysis suggests shifting from domain-specific transformations to domain-transecting, co-evolutionary transformations, such as a water-energy nexus approach. By extension, the research provides a set of policy recommendations to accelerate urban transformations. Finally, the research suggests options for future comparative studies on how ‘place’ conditions reconfiguration dynamics in urban development.:Acknowledgements Declaration of authorship Executive summary Table of contents List of tables List of figures Abbreviations Notes on the presentation of findings 1. Introduction 2. Capacity factors for urban sustainability transformation 2.1 Cities for sustainability 2.2 Urban sustainability transformations 2.3 Agency-related capacity factors for urban transformations 2.4 Raising questions 3. Methodology 3.1 Research design 3.2 Research methods 4. Case study of the Eco-capital Suwon 4.1 Suwon city: main characteristics 4.2 The Eco-capital Suwon for urban transformations 5. Agency and governance characteristics 5.1 Inclusive governance at the centre of transformations 5.2 Transformative leadership arising from diverse sectors 5.3 Communities of ‘practice’ beyond a network 5.4 Conclusions 6. Knowledge and social learning through interaction 6.1 New knowledge on systemic dynamics and its application to governance structures and institutions 6.2 (Co-)production of knowledge and transitional goals for the urban future 6.3 Social learning that leads to change 6.4 Conclusions 7. Community-based innovation and enabling environment for its acceleration 7.1 Neighbourhood-scale activities by communities of practice 7.2 Supportive regulatory framework and inclusive planning for community-based activities 7.3 Conclusions 8. Multi-dimensional processes of systems change 8.1 Diverse levels of agency with different contributions 8.2 Trans-scale and cross-scale dynamics 8.3 Conclusions 9. Conclusions Appendix 1 Summary of interviewees Appendix 2 South Korea’s local government system (as of 2018) Appendix 3 Overview of participatory programmes of Suwon Appendix 4 Studies on urban transformative capacity Reference