ABSTRACT

This chapter focuses on the main findings from the six case studies and highlights the implications for urban sustainability governance, from both a theoretical and practical perspective. Both strategic plans and sustainability indicators can contribute to urban sustainability governance, but do not necessarily perform their expected roles. Sustainability indicators also have a capacity to incorporate sustainability principles into decision-making. Whereas Heidelberg and New York developed performance measures to measure implementation of their strategic plans, sustainability-minded groups in Seattle and Hamburg developed indicator sets to advocate for inclusion of sustainability in local decision-making. The political meaning of sustainability in the cities studied was often divorced from the academic literature. Therefore, the role played by sustainability-minded groups in seeking to motivate these actors, by connecting sustainability to the local political context and challenging visions incompatible with its principles, appears to be an important complement to governance instruments.