Viewpoints: Improving cities' implementation of sustainability objectives

• Published in: Cities Vol. 113; p. 103167
• Main Authors: Krause, Rachel M., Hawkins, Christopher V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2021; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Administrative structure; Boundaries; Cities; Collective action; Convergence science; Functional collective action; Implementation; Local climate protection; Local government; Organizational structure; Sustainability; Urban sustainability; Local climate protection; Urban sustainability; Convergence science; Administrative structure; Functional collective action
• ISSN: 0264-2751; 1873-6084
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2021.103167

Cities are touted as leaders and innovators in sustainability policy, but face significant challenges with its implementation. Because sustainability objectives are multifaceted they often do not align with local governments' typical organizational structures, which compartmentalize expertise around core service functions. This mismatch lies at the heart of many cities' implementation struggles; broad sustainability initiatives require active contribution from multiple departments, but externalities and fuzzy boundaries of responsibility stymie collaboration. Sustainability science recognizes the need to think across disciplinary boundaries and we argue that sustainability implementation requires managing across organizational ones. Drawing from mixed-methods research on US cities' sustainability efforts, we present a functional collective action framework that identifies four internal administrative arrangements that city governments use to facilitate functionally transboundary sustainability implementation. We assess their relative effectiveness and make the case for an influential sustainability lead. •Cities are often touted innovators of sustainability and climate policy, but are ill-equipped to take on these broad issues.•The mismatch between the complex nature of these issues and the traditional structure of governments inhibits implementation.•We identify four administrative arrangements that offer means to enable functional collective action around sustainability.