Research

We want to strengthen our academic understanding of urban transformations for sustainable futures and use this knowledge to make concrete contributions to urban change. Together with experts in the field we study urban transformations from three research angles:  

1. Urban challenges and imaginaries 

What are the key challenges that drive urban transformations and how can we learn on urban transformation pathways across thematic fields or problem areas? And what are key imaginaries of more sustainable cities that (could) guide urban sustainability transformations?

2. Urban transformation processes and transformative practices 

What are dominant transformations and how do they emerge and materialize? How can we further develop effective transformative approaches? 

3. Contestations and politics of urban sustainability transformations 

What are the urban conflicts, contestations, politicizations, and dilemmas that arise in transformation processes and how are and could they be addressed? This angle’s aim is to systematically address issues of power and politics that play a major role in (the governance of) processes of urban transformations. 

Research themes

Our core project is on the role of infrastructures in the process of urban transformations, but we work on a wide range of topics. You can find an overview of the involved research groups at Utrecht University on the webpage `About us'. 

All projects