Local governments using their agency in sustainable transitions

Cities are at the forefront of sustainable transitions. From all government levels it is the local level where environmental problems manifest, where action is organized, and that is nearest to citizens. As cities are expected to continue growing their environmental impact is expected to do so as well. At the same time cities are more vulnerable to environmental risk. In increasing complex urban settings governance of sustainability becomes ever more challenging. This chapter will focus on the role of cities and their agency in sustainable transitions, more particularly in the domain of climate change mitigation. It addresses pressing issues city administrations face, the multi-stakeholder setting in which they operate, multi-sectoral challenges, the interaction with other tiers of government, and the agency, politics, and policy city administrations use. The chapter ends with suggestions for future research.