To harmonise practices of sustainable development particularly with regard to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development the international and interdisciplinary cooperation project examines how forms of transnational cooperation can be improved between urban centres in remote regions.
To answer this research question, the project team combines theoretical and empirical studies and compares decision-making processes on sustainable development practices in seven cities in the European Arctic (Rovaniemi, Kolari, Nuuk, Akureyri, Tromsø, Kiruna, Luleå) by taking participatory approaches into account.
Based on this, a framework will be developed that identifies pathways through which better transnational policy alignment can be achieved. The project addresses a gap in the current state of research, as especially remote regions - and as such the Arctic - are being studied.
The research hypothesis is based on the approach of interactive governance, according to which urban development in the Arctic is more sustainable if the positions of local stakeholders in decision-making processes are taken into account and policies at national and regional level are harmonised.
The project contributes to conceptual debates on transnational cooperation and local governance and develops new insights in the field of urban governance, in particular on political and institutional requirements imposed on cities, different types of available resources and the relationship between cities and society (also in its transnational form); it is intended to provide a deliberate impetus for the cluster "Success Factors for Transnational Cooperation".