Innovations in Urban Climate Governance
Voluntary Programs for Low-Carbon Buildings and Cities

Analyses voluntary programs for sustainable buildings and cities, a prominent strategy to mitigate climate change.

Jeroen van der Heijden (Author)

9781108415361, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 20 July 2017

352 pages
23.5 x 15.7 x 2.3 cm, 0.64 kg

'The built environment is a key focus for climate action in cities. Examining a wide range of voluntary programmes for reducing carbon emissions in buildings in Europe, Asia, North America and Australia, this book examines whether promises for action have been achieved in practice. It finds that while the opportunities for action appear plentiful, such schemes may be deluding themselves about the difference that they are making on the ground and the leadership they provide in the sector. A narrow focus on a small segment of the market and the limited ambition of many of the programmes involved has restricted their impact. The overly positive discourse surrounding such schemes, van der Heijden argues, is based on a 'leadership delusion' that such schemes can provide a beacon for others to follow. … Richly detailed, empirically rigorous and innovative in its design and approach, this book provides an original account of how voluntary forms of climate governance are working in cities in different contexts, providing insight for students and researchers alike and with valuable lessons for the policy process.' Harriet Bulkeley, University of Durham

Building on unique data, this book analyses the efficacy of a prominent climate change mitigation strategy: voluntary programs for sustainable buildings and cities. It evaluates the performance of thirty-five voluntary programs from the global north and south, including certification programs, knowledge networks, and novel forms of financing. The author examines them through the lens of club theory, urban transformation theory, and diffusion of innovations theory. Using qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) the book points out the opportunities and constraints of voluntary programs for decarbonising the built environment, and argues for a transformation of their use in climate change mitigation. The book will appeal to readers interested in sustainable city planning, climate change mitigation, and voluntarism as an alternative governance mechanism for achieving socially and environmentally desirable outcomes. The wide diversity of cases from the global north and south generate new insights, and offers practical guidelines for designing effective programs.

Preface
Acknowledgements
1. Why focus on voluntary programmes for sustainable buildings and cities?
2. The sustainable building challenge: contextualising the problem
3. A world of voluntary programs: prevailing and advanced theoretical perspectives
4. Bridging supply and demand
5. Generating and sharing knowledge
6. Providing funds
7. Separating the wheat from the chaff: a crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis (csQCA)
8. Voluntary programs for sustainable cities elsewhere: certification and classification in India, Malaysia, and Singapore
9. Beyond the leadership delusion: what role for voluntary programs in decarbonising buildings and cities?
Appendix A. Country snapshots
Appendix B. Voluntary program snapshots
Appendix C. Application of QCA in this book and an additional fsQCA
Appendix D. Interviews
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Urban & municipal planning [RPC], Sustainability [RNU], Social impact of environmental issues [RNT], International environmental law [LBBP], Comparative politics [JPB]