The Concepts of Green Growth and Degrowth in Urban Sustainable Transitions : A Systematic Review

We are currently facing the very urgent crisis of global warming. When the awareness for climate change rose, the global community adopted several agreements and policies in order to tackle this issue. Thus, the so-called green growth approach was enshrined in many policy agendas. It aims for sustainability while promoting economic growth. Meanwhile, critics occurred which doubt this synergy and suggest turning away from the concept of growth towards a degrowth society and economy. The contrast between green growth and degrowth has been debated in the literature already. However, they are also related to each other through their impact on cities. Urban areas are widely considered as the place to take action against climate change, because the majority of the world population lives there, and they are responsible for the bulk of carbon emission. Hence, this bachelor thesis examines how the two concepts compare as organizing principles for urban sustainable transitions. This research is conducted by doing a systematic literature review analyzing 19 identified studies available in the database Scopus. By examining this literature adducing Wolfram’s evaluative framework on the capacity of urban sustainable transitions, it is essentially concluded that neither green growth and degrowth are in every respect a superior principle for such transitions, but combining aspects of either concepts may be promising.